Lyme Science Blog

The results of a survey by Levy et al. offer some possible answers. The authors looked at patients who had suffered at least 1 of 4 imminent threats including depression, suicidality, abuse, and sexual assault. They found “that many people withhold information from their clinicians about imminent health threats that they face,” writes Levy. [1] The […]

A 6-year-old child presented to her pediatrician with a circular rash on the left side of her face. The pediatrician initially assumed the rash was allergic dermatitis and prescribed topical steroids. But the rash did not improve, explains Banadyha and colleagues in their case report. Over the next 1½ months the rash spread to the

The PG(Bb) fragments likely “contribute to inflammation during infection and in cases of post-infectious Lyme arthritis.” In a mouse study, the authors found “that PG(Bb) alone was sufficient to induce acute arthritis.” Furthermore, Jutras and colleagues suggest that “immune responses to PG(Bb) and autoantigens may contribute to pathology, even after the infection itself has been cleared.”

While there are many differences between these vectors and the diseases they transmit, the authors seek to answer the question: Why did malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases elicit effective interventions while Lyme and the other tick-borne diseases have not? Lyme disease is “one of the most challenging contemporary public health problems,” writes Rochlin. And while

“Besides the rise in the number of cases of Lyme disease, caused by genospecies of the Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. complex, important tick-borne diseases also include anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus, and babesiosis,” writes Benelli. [1] Ticks can also be frustrating if your child, livestock, or pet becomes infected. Have you found ticks

Peri and colleagues reviewed the medical records of children admitted to a hospital in Italy between January 2016 and December 2018. They identified 26 children who had a diagnosis of Lyme disease. Seven fit the criteria for chronic Lyme disease. But the authors disputed these findings, suspecting instead that the patients suffered from a somatic

Dr. Miller often treats empirically. “Because early treatment of Lyme disease decreases the chance of chronic symptoms, we often treat empirically with doxycycline while awaiting results of antibody testing. Travelers to high-risk areas may return home and develop symptoms weeks later.” Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31259503 Related Articles: Will steroid injections help children with Lyme arthritis of the knee?

The cause of POTS is not well understood but researchers believe it is due to multiple factors. According to Wells and colleagues, “moderate autonomic dysfunction, increased sympathetic tone, severe deconditioning, inadequate venous return or excessive blood venous pooling may contribute to POTS symptoms.” In addition, “Autoimmunity and mast cell activation syndromes have been postulated as

For a significant number of patients with Lyme disease, standard antibiotic treatment does not work. In fact, recent studies [1-3] have shown that treatment failure rates may range between 10% and 20%, writes DeLong and colleagues. [4] These patients can continue to suffer for years with debilitating symptoms, including pain, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and other

A case study published in the British Medical Journal features a 23-year-old man with a history of degenerative joint disease who presented with a sudden onset of palpitations. [2] His echocardiogram (ECG) revealed atrial fibrillation (AF) with a mildly dilated left Atrium. The patient did not recall a tick bite or a rash. And, “Although