Lyme Science Blog

Can Lyme Disease Trigger Autoimmune Arthritis? What Happens After Infection Can Lyme disease trigger autoimmune arthritis? Some patients develop persistent or worsening joint pain months after infection—raising important questions about immune response and long-term risk. A recent study found that approximately 1–2% of patients developed inflammatory arthritis within two years of Lyme disease—higher than after […]

Why Symptoms Don’t Fit One Diagnosis Why symptoms don’t fit one diagnosis is a question many patients ask after months of appointments, testing, and partial answers. One label may explain the fatigue. Another may explain the pain. A third may be offered for dizziness, anxiety, or brain fog. But the full picture still does not

Why Some Ticks Won’t Come Out (And What to Do Next) Why are some ticks so difficult to remove? Most people expect a tick to come out easily—but in some cases, removal can be surprisingly difficult. In some cases, patients worry that part of the tick may still be embedded in the skin—raising questions about

Panic attacks after Lyme disease are not widely discussed in mainstream guidance, yet they appear in clinical practice more often than many physicians expect. In a published case report, Garakani and Mitton describe a patient whose prior Lyme disease history complicated the interpretation of new neuropsychiatric symptoms. The case raises important questions about diagnostic framing,

When Does a Herxheimer Reaction Start? Timeline and Duration A Herxheimer reaction can begin within hours to days after starting Lyme disease treatment. Many patients ask how long symptoms last, whether worsening symptoms are normal, and how to distinguish a Herx reaction from a Lyme flare. Quick Answer: A Herxheimer reaction typically begins within hours

IBS and Lyme Disease: Why Gut Symptoms Don’t Always Fit IBS and Lyme disease can look surprisingly similar. Patients may develop bloating, constipation, abdominal discomfort, or irregular bowel habits—even when gastrointestinal testing is normal. These symptoms are often labeled as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, in Lyme disease, they may reflect changes in immune signaling

Conditions Lyme Disease Can Mimic (And Why It’s Often Misdiagnosed) Conditions Lyme disease can mimic are often the reason patients go months—or even years—without a clear diagnosis. Lyme disease rarely presents in a single, predictable way. Instead, symptoms may shift, overlap, and evolve across multiple body systems. Many patients are treated for multiple conditions—neurologic, rheumatologic,

Severe Herx Reaction Lyme Disease: When Symptoms Escalate Quickly Symptoms suddenly getting worse after treatment? More fatigue, pain, or brain fog than before? It may be a Herx reaction—not treatment failure. Severe Herx reaction Lyme disease can be alarming. Symptoms may intensify soon after starting treatment, leaving patients unsure whether they are improving—or getting worse.

Is It Dementia, Parkinson’s… or Lyme Disease? Lyme disease can mimic dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and seizure disorders. These neurologic presentations are frequently attributed to primary neurodegeneration before infection is considered. When symptoms fluctuate or involve multiple systems, Lyme disease deserves a place in the differential diagnosis. What if symptoms that look like dementia, Parkinson’s disease,

Can Lyme Disease Trigger Autoimmune Symptoms? Lyme disease autoimmune symptoms are increasingly discussed as patients experience persistent or evolving symptoms even after treatment. While Lyme disease is caused by infection, the body’s response to that infection may continue long after the initial trigger. How Infections Can Trigger Autoimmune Responses The immune system is designed to