Lyme Science Blog

Pacemakers for Lyme Carditis PACEMAKER NEEDED—OR LYME CARDITIS? HEART BLOCK FROM LYME DISEASE IS OFTEN REVERSIBLE Pacemakers for Lyme carditis may be required when Lyme disease disrupts the heart’s electrical system—but in many cases, the condition is reversible. A patient presents with dizziness, fatigue, or fainting. An ECG shows heart block. The next step may […]

Similarities of Long-COVID and Lyme disease in children The authors explored the current Long-COVID literature, and specifically addressed the cardiovascular, thrombotic and cerebrovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and dysautonomia seen in Long-COVID. The authors did not include Lyme disease in their discussion. “One study found that fatigue, headache, dizziness, dyspnoea,

Stroke associated with Lyme disease in a 59-year-old man The study entitled “Ischemic Stroke With Hemorrhagic Conversion in a Case of Lyme Neuroborreliosis” by Sathi and colleagues describes the case of a 59-year-old man who presented to a hospital in Florida with ischemic stroke with aphasia and acute confusion that had been ongoing for two

Increasing spread of Lyme disease in Europe The existence of Lyme disease in Greece remains controversial. In a recent study “Serological evidence of possible Borrelia afzelii lyme disease in Greece,” Karageorgou and colleagues examined patients throughout Greece suspected for Lyme disease by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and by western blotting for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato

Can anaplasmosis cause heart problems? Anaplasmosis heart problems can include myopericarditis and atrial fibrillation. In their article, “Case report: human granulocytic anaplasmosis causes acute myopericarditis with atrial fibrillation,” Levy et al. describe the case of a 65-year-old man who presented to the emergency room with fever and malaise, which had persisted for one week.¹ An

Can Lyme disease cause speech issues? WORD-FINDING TROUBLE—BUT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY? COULD IT BE LYME DISEASE? “I know what I want to say—but I can’t find the words.” Some patients with Lyme disease describe a frustrating change in speech. Words feel just out of reach. Conversations slow down. Thoughts don’t come

Black Children More Likely to Be Diagnosed Later With Lyme Disease Studies suggest that Black children may be more likely to receive a later diagnosis of Lyme disease compared with white children. Delayed recognition of early Lyme disease may contribute to higher rates of disseminated infection at the time of diagnosis. One study found that

The Many Presentations of the Lyme Disease Rash The Lyme disease rash, known as erythema migrans (EM), can appear in many different forms. While many people associate Lyme disease with the classic bull’s-eye rash, research shows that most Lyme disease rashes look very different from this textbook pattern. In the study “The Spectrum of Erythema

How Can Lyme Disease Affect Babies? Lyme disease during pregnancy has raised concerns about possible effects on maternal health and infant outcomes. In a recent study examining Lyme disease pregnancy outcomes, researchers used an international cross-sectional survey to explore how Lyme disease occurring during or around pregnancy may affect both mothers and their children. Participants

How common is Lyme carditis in patients referred for pacemaker implantation? In the study “Prevalence of Lyme Carditis in Patients with Atrioventricular Blocks,” Kaczmarek and colleagues aim to identify patients in whom Lyme carditis (LC) should be considered as the underlying cause of AV conduction disturbances.¹ Investigators examined 130 patients with AVB who had been