Lyme Science Blog

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH In a recent issue of the American Journal of Dermatopathology, Lynch and colleagues report on the case of a 21-year-old man who suffered hair loss following a tick bite to the scalp. [2] The man presented with nonscarring alopecia, a pattern of hair loss similar to alopecia-areata, also known […]

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The case report describes an uncommon adverse drug reaction which occurred in a 45-year-old woman who was prescribed antibiotics for Lyme disease and Babesia. Following her diagnosis, the patient received three months of treatment which included doxycycline, minocycline, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. According to the authors, the patient’s “clinical presentation was

Studies have found that patients with Lyme disease (LD) experience “exaggerated responses to pain and non-painful stimuli” despite antibiotic treatment. [1, 2] Lopez-Sola and colleagues describe those same responses in patients with fibromyalgia (FM), a condition associated with widespread musculoskeletal pain and tenderness accompanied by fatigue, cognitive, emotional and sleep-related symptoms. [3] “In addition to

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The authors take an in-depth look at BYS and how it compares to Lyme disease (LD) found in the United States. Although there are slight differences between the diseases, BYS and LD share similarities on many fronts. [1] “Despite the increasing number of suspect cases, this disease [BYS] is

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The article, Hemifacial spasm from Lyme disease: Antibiotic treatment points to cause, examines the case of a 44-year-old patient who was diagnosed with Lyme disease as a result of her rapid improvement following antimicrobial therapy. “Antibiotic administration for diagnostic purposes is not a recommended medical practice, of course, but the

The patient, who had been well until 5 days prior to her admission into the hospital, displayed atypical symptoms. Her illness was never attributed to a tick-borne disease, although she had reported removing a tick from her groin two weeks prior to being admitted to the hospital. The patient’s husband reported she began slurring her

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Researchers at New York Medical College have presumed that such fatigue is related to the presence of proinflammatory cytokines and other acute phase proteins. “Because prior studies have demonstrated the presence of elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines and other molecules in the serum of highly symptomatic patients with erythema

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The patients were prescribed anti-inflammatory therapies, primarily disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). “These treatments included steroids (3%), NSAIDS (20%), disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (57%), most commonly methotrexate, but also TNF-inhibitors, or combinations of these agents,” reported Arvikar. [1] The authors assumed that the persistent Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) infection had been

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Participants in the PLEASE trial were scored using an SF-36 physical component of Health (PCS) scale. Their PCS scores of 31 to 32 were worse than those of a diabetic and cancer patient. [3] These patients’ PCS scores have been 42 and 41, respectively. While PCS scores have been

Physicians are warned of the importance in distinguishing between viral or idiopathic facial paralysis (e.g., Bell’s palsy) from Lyme disease-associated facial palsy. Authors of the study, “Steroid Use in Lyme Disease-Associated Facial Palsy Is Associated With Worse Long-Term Outcomes,” used the term Lyme disease-associated facial palsy (LDFP) rather than Bell’s palsy to highlight the differences