Lyme Science Blog

Why Lyme Disease Becomes Disseminated: Delayed Diagnosis and Hidden Risk Factors Who is more likely to develop disseminated Lyme disease? Can delayed diagnosis increase the risk? Access to care may matter more than many realize. Risk factors for Lyme disease complications—including disseminated Lyme disease—may include more than tick exposure alone. A study by Moon and […]

Does Prior Trauma Affect Lyme Disease Symptoms? PRIOR TRAUMA? COULD IT AFFECT LYME SYMPTOMS? Prior trauma may influence how severe Lyme disease symptoms become in some patients. Earlier work by Solomon and colleagues showed that individuals with more lifetime traumatic events were more likely to report a painful and disabling course. Building on this, Mustafiz

Lyme Disease Radiculopathy in a Child Lyme disease can affect the nervous system in children. A 10-year-old boy developed painful cervical radiculitis. MRI findings suggested nerve root inflammation due to Lyme disease. Lyme disease can affect the nervous system and may lead to radiculopathy, radiculitis, or radiculoneuritis in some patients. Neurologic Lyme disease in children

Could there be subclinical cardiac involvement in early Lyme disease in children? In an earlier study by Woolf and colleagues, nearly 1 in 5 children (19.6%) children with an erythema migrans (EM) rash or a positive two-tier Lyme serology had EKG evidence of carditis. Twenty-four of the children had atrioventricular (11.2%). Their study did not

Does Permethrin-Treated Clothing Work? Effectiveness and Safety Explained Permethrin-treated clothing is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from ticks and reduce the risk of tick-borne disease. As more individuals venture outdoors during warmer weather, concerns about tick exposure increase. Researchers have examined not only the effectiveness of tick repellents and protective clothing

Do Birds Carry Ticks? What Mice and Chipmunks Reveal Birds can carry ticks. Mice can spread infection. Chipmunks may play a bigger role than expected. Birds, mice, and chipmunks can all carry ticks—but they play different roles in spreading Lyme disease. Do Birds Carry Ticks? Yes, birds can carry ticks. In one study, ticks were

Can Lyme Disease Cause Brain Inflammation? A Rare Case With MRI Changes Lyme can affect the brain. Inflammation may appear on MRI. Even without a rash or tick bite. Lyme disease can affect the brain and, in rare cases, cause inflammation in the central nervous system. This may lead to symptoms such as brain fog,

Lyme Myocarditis Without Typical Lyme Disease Signs NO RASH OR TICK BITE? CAN LYME MYOCARDITIS BE MISSED? A 37-year-old man developed Lyme myocarditis without a rash, tick bite, or other typical signs of Lyme disease. The patient resided in Germany and had been receiving immunosuppressive treatment for microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). He presented to the emergency

Severity of Lyme disease even without contracting COVID-19 Cases The burden of illness for individuals with a history of Lyme disease can be high Case 1: A 68-year-old woman with a history of a deer tick bite, but no rash or a swollen knee. She is not sure which tests were positive. She had been

Concerns individuals with a history of Lyme disease have with the COVID-19 vaccine. Cases of Lyme Disease and COVID-19 Case 1: A 45-year-old white woman with a partial college education was working as a groundskeeper. She had a history of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, irritable bowel syndrome, and viral meningitis. She had been ill for 37 years.