During my medical school, graduate school, and residency, Lyme disease wasn’t even on my radar. That’s not surprising, given that I was in training before Lyme disease had really entered the medical lexicon. Back then, the condition was a little-known illness, limited to a few regions and far from being the major public health concern […]
I never learned about Lyme disease in Medical School Read More »
Lyme disease, if left untreated, can infiltrate the nervous system, leading to a range of cognitive, neurological, and psychiatric complications. When Lyme bacteria invade the brain and spinal cord, the condition is known as neuroborreliosis—and its effects can be profound. Cognitive Dysfunction: A Mind in Fog One of the most common neurological effects of Lyme
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It starts small. A tick bite you never noticed. A fever that comes and goes. An ache you blame on a long day, a restless night, a bad chair. But Lyme disease, left unchecked, doesn’t stay small. It spreads. It settles. It rewires. And sometimes, it doesn’t leave. The Joints: A Slow, Relentless Ache
What’s the worst that can happen with Lyme disease? Read More »
If Lyme disease is identified and treated promptly, many people recover fully. A standard course of antibiotics can effectively clear the infection, and symptoms typically resolve. However, some individuals experience lingering effects even after treatment. What Happens If Lyme Disease Is Left Untreated? If the infection spreads or is not diagnosed early, it can
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In 2020, investigators published a case involving a 13-year-old boy with Lyme arthritis, a common manifestation of Lyme disease, who developed a Herxheimer reaction when treated with doxycycline. On the 7th day of treatment, the boy developed a low-grade fever and severe arthralgias with intense hip, ankle and cervical spine pain and myalgias. You can
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A 23-year-old woman, who lived in Brooklyn, NY, had visited her primary care doctor complaining of bilateral knee swelling and pain. Three days prior, she had delivered a healthy baby girl. The pain was reported as 8/10 in severity and was exacerbated by walking, according to the authors. When the woman was 6 months pregnant,
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Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nerves surrounding the brain and spinal cord. GBS symptoms typically include weakness and/or tingling sensations in the legs, which can spread to the arms and upper body. This patient also reported having three episodes of loose stools, two episodes
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The man, in his 70’s, presented with dactylitis (severe swelling of the fingers or toes), onycholysis of the nails (nail separates from the skin) and scalp psoriasis, which lead to the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis. However, he did not respond to treatment with corticosteroids or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. “A skin biopsy was performed showing histopathological
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A case report by Lazaro and Butt, published in the International Medical Case Reports Journal, describes a 67-year-old patient with Lyme disease and femoral neuropathy.¹ This is believed to be the first reported case of isolated femoral neuropathy triggered by Lyme disease. Femoral neuropathy, also referred to as femoral nerve dysfunction, involves a loss of
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In their article “Transfusion-transmitted babesiosis in a patient with sickle cell disease undergoing chronic red cell exchange,” Costa and colleagues describe a patient who contracted Babesia from a donor living in Ohio, a state that is not considered endemic for Babesia.¹ According to the authors, a 30-year-old man with sickle cell disease (SCD) required approximately
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