by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH “On presentation to our hospital, the patient continued to complain of severe headaches and was noted to have mild unilateral right-sided facial droop and a diffuse macular rash throughout the body,” explains Kantamaneni in his article, A Case of Early Disseminated Neurological Lyme Disease Followed by Atypical Cutaneous Manifestations. […]
Atypical presentation of early disseminated Lyme disease Read More »
Lyme Disease Cardiac Arrest in a 12-Year-Old Boy Lyme disease cardiac arrest is a rare but serious complication of Lyme carditis that can disrupt the heart’s electrical system and lead to life-threatening arrhythmias. Cardiac complications of Lyme disease may include conduction abnormalities, myocarditis, and severe arrhythmias. In rare cases, these disturbances can lead to sudden
Lyme Disease Cardiac Arrest in a 12-Year-Old Boy Read More »
by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The seroprevalence of positive tests for B. burgdorferi in dogs was highest in areas with close proximity to the United States. The highest seroprevalence was 15.7% in Nova Scotia and 5.1% in Eastern Ontario with surrounding areas of “moderate to low seroprevalence,” according to the study’s lead author, Herrin,
Dogs in Canada at risk for Lyme disease Read More »
Feng and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University have identified FDA-approved drugs that might work on in vitro B. burgdorferi persisters. [2] Persistence may be a subset of dormancy. “Evidence suggests dormancy consists of a continuum of interrelated states including viable but nonculturable (VBNC) and persistence states,” according to Mali. “VBNC and persistence contribute to antibiotic
Could dormancy allow Lyme disease to survive antibiotics? Read More »
After 37 years treating Lyme disease, I’ve seen this pattern repeatedly: children diagnosed with ADHD whose symptoms resolve completely with antibiotic treatment. A 7-year-old girl presented with declining school performance and difficulty focusing. This case demonstrates why attention problems in children warrant evaluation for tick-borne infections. When School Struggles Signal Infection A 7-year-old girl who
7-year-old girl with Lyme disease presenting as attention deficit disorder Read More »
by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH In the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, the authors report a substantial number of patients who suffered from severe fatigue, pain and Post-Treatment Lyme disease Syndrome (PTLDS) six months after completing a three-week course of antibiotics for an erythema migrans rash. [4] Out of 107 patients, 6 of the 107
A study from Johns Hopkins found that a substantial number of Lyme disease patients still had significant pain and fatigue after completing a standard 3-week course of doxycycline, and for many, symptoms persisted for 6 months or longer. These findings raise important questions about whether 3 weeks of treatment is sufficient for all patients. The
The risk of pain and fatigue after three weeks of Lyme disease treatment Read More »
When Mono Tests Are Actually Lyme Disease In an article published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, Pavletic from the National Institute of Mental Health reports “two cases of false positive Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) serologies in early-disseminated Lyme disease.” These cases illustrate an important diagnostic challenge: Lyme disease can trigger positive mononucleosis tests, leading to
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Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a neurological disorder involving inflammation of nerve roots and peripheral nerves and destruction of the protective myelin sheath covering the nerves. It causes progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms. This case demonstrates how CIDP can be triggered by Lyme disease — and how antibiotic
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) case resolved with antibiotics Read More »
