Can Lyme Disease Cause Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)? Yes—Lyme disease can affect the heart and, in some cases, may cause atrial fibrillation (AFib). Although heart block is the most common presentation of Lyme carditis, less typical rhythms like AFib can occur and may be missed early. Sudden palpitations. AFib in a young patient. No clear explanation. […]
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Asian Longhorned Tick in New York: First Human Bite Raises Public Health Questions The Asian longhorned tick has officially been identified in New York following the first documented human bite in the United States. This discovery raises an important public health concern: emerging tick species may go unnoticed until human exposure occurs — a pattern
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Tick Bite Risk in Military Personnel: Lessons from German Army Training Tick bite risk in military personnel is an underrecognized occupational hazard, particularly during field training in endemic regions. A study examining German military recruits evaluated how often tick bites occurred during basic training and whether complications followed. The authors found that “one out of
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1H-MRS Early Lyme Neuroborreliosis: Brain Injury Missed by MRI 1H-MRS early Lyme neuroborreliosis may reveal neurologic damage that is not visible on standard MRI scans. This raises an important clinical concern: patients with Lyme disease symptoms can include neurologic complaints even when conventional imaging appears normal. The authors conducted a study to determine whether 1H-MRS
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Lyme Disease Cardiac Problems: 19 Documented Complications Quick Answer: Lyme disease can affect the heart in multiple ways, including heart block, arrhythmias, and—in rare cases—life-threatening conduction abnormalities. Clinical Insight: While Lyme carditis is often associated with AV block, research shows a much broader spectrum of cardiac involvement. Can Lyme disease affect the heart? Yes—and sometimes
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Infected Deer Ticks Moving Into New York City Parks Infected deer ticks are moving into New York City parks, highlighting a growing urban risk for Lyme disease. There has been an “unprecedented increase in locally acquired cases in New York City,” writes VanAcker in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. In response, VanAcker and colleagues launched
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Anchoring Bias Lyme Disease: When Diagnosis Goes Wrong Anchoring bias in Lyme disease can occur when clinicians fixate on an initial diagnosis and fail to adjust their thinking as new information emerges. Conversely, this same cognitive bias may also occur when Lyme disease is incorrectly diagnosed and the true underlying illness is missed. Aguirre and
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Is Lyme Disease Always Easily Treated? Is Lyme disease easily treated? In many cases, yes—particularly when the illness is recognized early. However, clinical experience shows that outcomes are not identical for every patient. This post uses a widely read article as a starting point to explore why Lyme disease can be straightforward for some patients—and
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Lyme Disease Vocal Cord Paralysis: A Rare but Treatable Cause HOARSENESS THAT WON’T GO AWAY? VOICE CHANGES WITHOUT A CLEAR CAUSE? COULD LYME DISEASE AFFECT THE VOCAL CORDS? Lyme disease vocal cord paralysis is an uncommon but clinically important presentation caused by neurologic involvement of the nerves controlling the vocal cords. “My voice changed—and no
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Lyme Literate Doctor: What Does It Really Take? WHY DO DOCTORS DISAGREE ABOUT LYME DISEASE? THE ANSWER IS MORE COMPLEX THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE Why do doctors disagree about Lyme disease? For many patients, the confusion begins when symptoms persist—but answers don’t. Some clinicians see a straightforward infection. Others recognize a more complex, evolving illness.
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