Lyme Science Blog

Mother Describes Challenges in Getting Treatment for Newborn with Lyme Disease A newborn with Lyme disease can present with subtle symptoms that are easy to overlook. In a published case report, a mother described the frightening experience of seeking treatment for her infant after noticing a tick and early signs of illness. Her account highlights […]

Cascade of Unnecessary Tests: When Lyme Goes Undiagnosed Cascade of care in Lyme disease often occurs when the correct diagnosis is missed. Patients with fatigue, neurologic symptoms, joint pain, or cognitive dysfunction may undergo extensive testing across multiple specialties before Lyme disease is considered. Instead of unnecessary tests triggering the cascade, the cascade begins because

Lyme Disease and Anesthesia: Key Considerations Before Surgery Undiagnosed Lyme disease can be missed Cardiac and neurologic involvement matters Anesthesia choices may affect outcomes Lyme disease and anesthesia require careful evaluation before surgery. Patients may have undiagnosed infection or organ involvement that can influence anesthetic decisions and perioperative care. In her article “Lyme Disease and

Lyme Carditis and Pacemaker Removal: When Is It Possible? High-degree heart block led to pacemaker placement Both patients were later treated for Lyme disease Pacemakers were successfully removed after recovery In their study, “Pacemaker Explantation in Patients With Lyme Carditis,” Wamboldt and colleagues describe two cases where permanent pacemakers were later removed following treatment for

‘Near-universal’ negative experiences with healthcare providers reported by Lyme disease patients “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,

Lyme Meningitis and Hyponatremia: A Missed Clue Can Lyme disease cause low sodium? It can through SIADH. And the diagnosis is often delayed. Lyme meningitis hyponatremia is an uncommon but important clinical presentation that may be overlooked. Hyponatremia—low sodium levels in the blood—can occur in many conditions, including disorders of the central nervous system. However,

Lyme Disease or Rheumatoid Arthritis? How to Tell the Difference Quick Answer: Lyme disease can mimic rheumatoid arthritis, causing joint pain, stiffness, and fatigue—but Lyme is driven by infection, not autoimmune inflammation. Clinical Insight: When joint symptoms don’t follow a typical autoimmune pattern—or don’t respond to treatment—it may be important to consider Lyme disease. Joint

Bullous Erythema Migrans: An Atypical Lyme Disease Rash Erythema migrans rash does not always appear as the classic bull’s-eye lesion associated with Lyme disease. Several reports have described urticarial, linear, granulomatous, and bullous variants, which can lead to misidentification, delayed diagnosis, and delayed treatment. In their article, “Vesiculobullous Lyme disease: A case series,” the authors

Doxycycline After Tick Bite: Does It Prevent Lyme? A single dose of doxycycline is often recommended after a tick bite to prevent Lyme disease. However, the evidence supporting this strategy is limited and primarily shows a reduction in the Lyme disease rash known as erythema migrans rather than reliable prevention of Lyme disease itself. Deciding

Fatal Babesiosis Without Classic Risk Factors: A Missed Warning Symptoms worsened over two weeks No tick exposure was reported Severe infection led to rapid decline and death A man presented to the emergency department with fatigue, generalized weakness, and intermittent subjective fevers that had worsened over a 2-week period. He also reported headaches, vision changes,