Lyme Science Blog

What’s the Worst That Can Happen With Lyme Disease? Severe Symptoms and Complications Severe Lyme disease can affect the joints, nervous system, heart, and brain—especially when diagnosis or treatment is delayed. In some cases, symptoms persist or worsen over time, leading to long-term complications. Severe Lyme disease symptoms may involve the joints, nervous system, heart, […]

Can Lyme Disease Cause Permanent Damage? Can Lyme disease cause permanent damage? In some cases, yes—especially when diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Lyme disease can affect the joints, nervous system, heart, and cognitive function, and some symptoms may persist over time. Quick Answer: Lyme disease can contribute to long-term complications involving the brain, nerves, joints,

Can You Feel a Tick on You? Wouldn’t you feel a tick bite? Not necessarily. Many tick bites go completely unnoticed. The Short Answer: Sometimes — But Often Not If you’ve ever wondered, “Can you feel a tick on you?”, you’re not alone. Many patients assume they would notice a tick crawling or biting. In

Doctor Who Treats Chronic Lyme: What to Look For Quick Answer: A doctor who treats chronic Lyme disease should recognize multi-system symptoms, consider clinical diagnosis, and evaluate patients beyond standard testing. Clinical Insight: Many patients struggle to find appropriate care because chronic Lyme symptoms often don’t fit a single diagnosis or standard framework. Why is

Lyme Disease Recovery: Why Symptoms Can Last and What to Expect Recovery is often slower than expected Symptoms may persist or fluctuate Setbacks can occur during healing Progress is rarely linear Lyme disease recovery is often slower and less predictable than patients expect. Even after treatment, symptoms may persist, fluctuate, or return—raising questions about long-term

How to Prevent Chronic Lyme Disease: What Patients Need to Know You were treated for Lyme disease—but symptoms return. Or they never fully go away. Prevention may depend on what happens early. Preventing chronic Lyme disease begins with recognizing how early decisions affect long-term outcomes. Preventing chronic Lyme disease often depends on what happens early—and

Herxheimer Reaction in a Newborn With Lyme Disease Antibiotics can trigger a Herxheimer reaction. A newborn developed fever and tachycardia after treatment. Clinicians diagnosed neonatal Lyme disease. Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions have been reported in adults and children treated for Lyme disease, but published neonatal cases remain rare. In 2020, investigators described a 13-year-old boy with Lyme

Woman Develops Lyme Disease Symptoms After Giving Birth A WOMAN DEVELOPED LYME SYMPTOMS AFTER DELIVERY BUT HER INFANT REMAINED HEALTHY RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT LYME DISEASE DURING PREGNANCY A 23-year-old woman from Brooklyn, NY, developed Lyme disease symptoms shortly after giving birth to a healthy baby girl. Three days after delivery, she visited her primary care

Lyme Disease and Guillain-Barré Syndrome: When Lyme Mimics GBS Weakness begins in the legs. It spreads—and becomes harder to explain. This is where Lyme disease can be missed. Lyme disease can mimic Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a neurologic condition that causes progressive weakness and nerve dysfunction. This is where neurologic Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed. This

Lyme Disease Misdiagnosed as Psoriatic Arthritis SWOLLEN FINGERS—BUT TREATMENT ISN’T WORKING? LYME DISEASE CAN MIMIC PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS “The diagnosis made sense—but the treatment didn’t help.” Lyme disease can present with joint swelling and inflammation that closely resemble inflammatory arthritis, including psoriatic arthritis. Quick Answer: Lyme disease can mimic psoriatic arthritis, especially when symptoms such as