Lyme Science Blog

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,

Meningoencephalitis Borrelia Miyamotoi: Case Report Meningoencephalitis Borrelia Miyamotoi: Case ReportMeningoencephalitis Borrelia miyamotoi can occur even in immunocompetent patients. A 73-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a 16-day history of confusion and intermittent headaches. He was an avid gardener and reportedly had tick bites in the past but none that he noticed in the

Tick Bite Red Meat Allergy: Alpha-Gal Syndrome Explained ALLERGIC TO MEAT AFTER A TICK BITE? SYMPTOMS HOURS AFTER EATING? COULD THIS BE ALPHA-GAL SYNDROME? A tick bite can trigger a red meat allergy known as alpha-gal syndrome—a delayed immune reaction that many patients do not immediately connect to prior tick exposure. “I ate meat my