Lyme Science Blog

Chronic Lyme Disease and Medical Gaslighting: Why Patients Are Dismissed Patients report not being believed Symptoms are often dismissed Diagnosis may be delayed for years Quick Answer: Chronic Lyme disease patients may experience medical gaslighting, where symptoms are dismissed or attributed to other causes. This can delay diagnosis, prolong illness, and complicate treatment. Chronic Lyme […]

Sudden Hearing Loss as a Sign of Lyme Neuroborreliosis Hearing loss may be the first symptom Often treated initially as idiopathic Delayed recognition can affect recovery In their article, “Isolated Sudden Bilateral Neurosensory Hearing Loss as a Presentation of Lyme Neuroborreliosis,” Rochd and colleagues describe a patient whose primary symptom of Lyme disease was sudden

Can Lyme Disease Cause Fainting? Lyme Carditis and Sudden Heart Block Can Lyme disease cause fainting or sudden collapse? Lyme carditis can disrupt the heart’s electrical system within weeks of infection—leading to dangerous heart block and repeated fainting episodes that require immediate medical attention. Key Warning: Fainting after a tick bite is not normal. It

Can pets harbor ticks, even in the winter? In their article, “An analysis of companion animal tick encounters as revealed by photograph-based crowdsourced data,” Kopsco and colleagues found, “The percentage of reports of ticks found on companion animals is more than doubled in the fall and winter seasons from what was reported in the spring and

Borrelia Mayonii: Atypical Lyme Disease in the Midwest Borrelia mayonii is a recently discovered species that causes Lyme disease with atypical features. Since the species was first identified 7 years ago, there have been only 7 reported cases of Lyme disease caused by Borrelia mayonii. In Open Forum Infectious Diseases Correspondence, McGowan and colleagues describe

Can Lyme Disease Cause Heart Palpitations? Signs of Lyme Carditis to Know Heart palpitations in a Lyme patient? It could be Lyme carditis—a complication that affects the heart’s rhythm. Heart palpitations can be an early sign of Lyme carditis—a potentially serious complication of Lyme disease. Yes—Lyme disease can cause heart palpitations. In some cases, the

Bartonella Psychiatric Symptoms: Anxiety, Mood Changes, and Misdiagnosis Bartonella psychiatric symptoms can look like primary mental illness before anyone considers infection. Sudden panic attacks, rage, agitation, depression, or personality change may be treated as psychiatric disease alone—especially when the connection to tick bites, flea exposure, rashes, or swollen lymph nodes is missed. That is one

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: When Symptoms Don’t Look Typical RMSF doesn’t always present with a rash. Fever may come and go. Delayed treatment can be fatal. Rocky Mountain spotted fever symptoms can vary—and atypical presentations may delay diagnosis. Although RMSF is most commonly reported in Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and North Carolina, cases occur across

Lyme Disease Co-Infections and Combination Antibiotics: What a Study Found Lyme disease often doesn’t occur alone. Co-infections are common. And treatment may need to reflect that. Lyme disease co-infections antibiotics were evaluated in a longitudinal study of 140 patients with confirmed tick-borne infections. In a study by Xi and colleagues, 33% of patients were found

Case: A Rare Cardiac Complication Involving Lyme and Anaplasmosis While these complications are well recognized, they do not always present in typical ways. The following case illustrates how Lyme disease complications can involve the heart and become life-threatening—especially when coinfections are present. Over the last several years, there has been a three-fold increase in anaplasmosis