Lyme Science Blog

Disulfiram was initially marketed in the U.S. as Antabuse as an alcohol sobriety aid which deters alcohol consumption by eliciting physical discomforts (e.g., headache, nausea, hypotension). It’s use as a possible treatment for Lyme disease has been described in several recent studies. Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, possesses survival strategies in humans. […]

Babesiosis stroke symptoms can mimic transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) with confusion, slurred speech, ataxia, and cognitive impairment — leading doctors to miss the underlying tick-borne infection. Two patients in their 70s presented with stroke-like neurologic manifestations that resolved completely after treating Babesiosis with antibiotics and antiparasitics. Their cases expose a critical gap: neurologic symptoms from

The mother saw a tick on her newborn daughter. “Three days later, she was very sleepy and hard to rouse,” the mother wrote. The infant had a red rash but not a Bull’s-eye rash. She was hospitalized. Intravenous antibiotics were prescribed via a PICC [peripherally inserted central catheter] line. The mother described sleeping in a

What Is a Cascade of Care? Dr. Meredith Niess discussed a troubling case in an NPR story. A man was scheduled for hernia surgery. A preoperative X-ray was ordered despite the paucity of evidence of whether the X-ray was needed. The X-ray suggested a mass. The patient was worried about cancer. Cancer was ruled out.

In her article “Lyme Disease and Anesthesia Considerations,” Smit discusses three approaches: Disease awareness Some patients may have Lyme disease that has not been diagnosed. “Infected patients in whom the diagnosis has not yet been made or has been missed may present for invasive investigations such as biopsies or arthroscopies or for larger surgical interventions

Reversible heart block from Lyme disease means patients don’t need permanent pacemakers for life. Two cases demonstrate successful removal of permanent pacemakers after antibiotic treatment restored normal cardiac conduction. Both patients maintained 1:1 conduction at heart rates exceeding 120 beats per minute during exercise stress testing, proving their heart block had completely resolved. By Dr.

“Healthcare providers frequently struggle to provide effective care to patients with chronic Lyme-associated symptoms…potentially causing these patients to feel misunderstood or neglected by the healthcare system,” the authors wrote. They listed 6 themes that emerged from the participants experiences: Late diagnosis, abandonment, loss, unpredictability, lack of understanding, and a need for a holistic experience. The

Hyponatremia from Lyme disease can signal underlying neuroborreliosis causing syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion. An 83-year-old woman developed persistent low sodium levels (125-126 mmol/L) initially attributed to blood pressure medication, but after one month of diagnostic confusion and medication changes, a lumbar puncture finally revealed Lyme meningitis as the cause. Her SIADH resolved

In the study “Assessment of quality of life in patients with Lyme arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis,” Yuskevych and colleagues surveyed 90 patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis who were treated at their rheumatology clinic.¹ Nearly 50% of the patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis also tested positive for Lyme disease. Survey results indicated, “The presence of Borrelia burgdorferi [the

Several reports have found urticarial, linear, granulomatous, and bullous erythema migrans presentations associated with Lyme disease, as well. And as this case series highlights, “several erythema migrans variants have been reported, which may result in misidentification as well as delayed diagnosis and treatment.”¹ In their article, “Vesiculobullous Lyme disease: A case series,” the authors describe