Lyme Science Blog

Treatment-resistant depression in teenagers rarely prompts Lyme disease testing—even when accompanied by cognitive decline, academic failure, and a history of tick exposure. Yet neuropsychiatric symptoms can be the primary manifestation of Lyme disease, and recovery is possible when the underlying infection is treated. A 16-year-old boy with long-standing depression suddenly worsened, developing suicidal thoughts, cognitive […]

Lyme disease can present with a broad range of symptoms. Many of them are familiar to clinicians. But in some cases, a patient may exhibit atypical symptoms, including rashes other than the well-known “bull’s eye” rash. These unique presentations of Lyme disease can make diagnosing the illness particularly difficult. For instance, Sharma reports, “Our case

POTS Brain Fog and Cognitive Deficits POTS brain fog is one of the most disabling symptoms reported by patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome — and it is especially common in patients who also have Lyme disease. A study by Wells and colleagues confirms what many patients already know: POTS brain fog involves measurable impairments

In their article, “Unique Case of Gastroparesis in a Chronic Lyme Disease Patient,” Qasawa et al. discuss the case of a patient diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease, who suffered from gastrointestinal complications including gastroparesis. Her symptoms were so severe that she required IV nutrition to maintain her weight—making gastroparesis an important Lyme disease symptom that

Hess and colleagues discuss 5 cases, reported in the literature, in which Lyme arthritis following an operation. [1] Case 1 The first case they cite involved a 38-year-old woman who had undergone knee surgery. She had a “bone-patellar tendon-bone reconstruction of her anterior cruciate ligament along with a staged autologous chondrocyte transplantation to repair a

The authors cite studies with “high-level evidence” recommending prophylaxis treatment of tick bites during pregnancy with a single dose of 200 mg of doxycycline. The risk, they say, to the unborn baby is low. “Previously, doxycycline was avoided in pregnancy and in children under 8 years of age because of concerns about adverse effects similar

Babesia in dogs may help predict human risk. Investigators studied tick-transmitted diseases including Babesia in hunting dogs to determine potential risks to humans. Dogs exposed to ticks can serve as sentinels for tick-borne disease trends. Hunting dogs, specifically, were tracked as they are exposed to ticks more often than pet dogs. And they are more

“One day, when traveling in California for a meeting, I received a call informing me that one of my sons, then aged 39, had been walking his dog when he collapsed into unconsciousness with a heart rate of 35/minute and had been taken to a local hospital,” writes Plotkin.¹ A Lyme infection was suspected. His

Patients with autoimmune disorders are at risk for POTS, along with individuals who have had a viral illness or a serious infection, such as Lyme disease. In fact, POTS and Lyme disease patients often present with similar symptoms. For instance, POTS patients frequently report having “brain fog,” also a common complaint among Lyme disease patients.