Lyme Science Blog

Bilateral Facial Palsy and Lyme Disease: A Rare but Serious Presentation Bilateral facial palsy is rare. It often signals a serious underlying condition. Lyme disease is one possibility that can be missed. Bilateral facial palsy Lyme disease is an uncommon but important clinical presentation. Less than 2% of facial palsy cases are bilateral. Unlike unilateral […]

Lyme Arthritis in Children: Knee Swelling Without Rash Lyme arthritis in children often appears as knee swelling weeks or months after a tick bite. Because the classic rash of early Lyme disease is frequently absent or unnoticed, diagnosis may be delayed. Guardado and Sergent describe a case illustrating a common diagnostic gap: a 10-year-old girl

Sudden Vision Loss? Lyme Optic Neuritis Can Affect Both Eyes VISION LOSS IN BOTH EYES? LYME DISEASE MAY BE MISSED Lyme optic neuritis is a rare neurologic complication of Lyme disease that can cause inflammation of the optic nerve and progressive visual loss. Unlike typical optic neuritis, Lyme-associated cases may affect both eyes and may

Hearing Loss and Vertigo in Lyme Disease: When Inner Ear Symptoms Are Missed Hearing loss and vertigo in Lyme disease may occur when inflammation affects the inner ear, vestibular system, or vestibulocochlear nerve. Patients may also experience tinnitus, dizziness, ear pressure, imbalance, or difficulty reading during vertigo episodes. These symptoms can be part of a

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 Really Work? Permethrin-treated clothing is one of the most effective ways to reduce tick bites and lower the risk of tick-borne disease. As more individuals spend time outdoors during warmer weather, concerns about tick exposure increase. Researchers have examined not only the effectiveness of tick repellents and protective clothing, but also the

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