What Do Ebola, COVID-19, and Lyme Disease Have in Common?
Welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast. I am your host, Dr. Daniel Cameron.
In this episode, I discuss what Ebola, COVID-19, and Lyme disease may have in common — the potential for persistent symptoms long after the initial infection.
The topic was recently explored in Vox Magazine by author Julia Belluz.1
Her article, “Long COVID Isn’t as Unique as We Thought,” examines how long-term complications following infections have been recognized in medicine for more than a century.
As Belluz’s article explains
, long-term complications seen after infections such as Ebola, COVID-19, and Lyme disease may not be unique. Doctors have noticed long-lasting illness after infections since at least 1889.
The article describes the case of Dr. Craig Spencer, who experienced long-term symptoms after contracting Ebola in 2014 while working with Doctors Without Borders.
Long-Term Effects of Ebola and Other Infections
Dr. Spencer explains, “Though the physical effects eventually faded, cognitive complications persist to this day.” These symptoms include difficulty concentrating, problems forming new memories, fatigue, and muscle and joint pain.
Other illnesses — including Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and COVID-19 — have also been associated with long-term complications.
COVID-19 “long-haulers” have reported persistent symptoms after their initial infection. A condition called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) has also been reported weeks after COVID-19 infection.
“Post-viral syndrome and ME/CFS also parallel other contested and little-understood chronic disorders, including chronic Lyme disease, which is thought to occur after infection with the tick-borne Borrelia bacterium,” writes Belluz.1
Furthermore, Johns Hopkins researcher Megan Hosey has suggested that the “long-haul” concept may extend beyond infections to illnesses such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and lupus.
How Long COVID Changed the Conversation
The global focus on COVID-19 and its long-term effects has helped open discussions about whether other infections may also trigger persistent symptoms.
According to findings from a recent meta-analysis, symptoms observed in post-COVID-19 patients resemble those seen in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), including:
- severe fatigue
- pain
- neurocognitive difficulties
- sleep disruption
- symptoms suggesting autonomic dysfunction
- worsening symptoms after physical or cognitive exertion
Other studies have reported Lyme disease patients with persistent symptoms similar to those observed in post-COVID-19 patients.3,4
“If long COVID changes anything, it has to be this knee-jerk reaction in medicine to discount and give up on patients with symptoms that have no identifiable biological basis,” writes Belluz.
She adds that the experience is so common that researchers at the Mayo Clinic have given it a name: “undercared-for chronic suffering.”
Possible Causes of Persistent Symptoms
The exact cause of ongoing symptoms after infections such as Ebola, COVID-19, and Lyme disease remains unclear. Scientists have proposed several possible explanations.
Researchers from Yale suggest that even after the virus has left the body, fragments of viral RNA or protein may remain and continue stimulating the immune system.
Other scientists believe some patients may develop autoimmune reactions in which the immune system begins attacking the body’s own tissues.
Dr. Spencer’s experience has led him to join the growing group of physicians and researchers calling for a new way of thinking about long-term illness after infection.
Ultimately, the struggles experienced by COVID long-haulers may help raise awareness about the lasting effects infections can have on patients with various illnesses, including Lyme disease.
Questions Addressed in This Podcast
- Are post-infectious symptoms a new concept?
- What chronic symptoms did Dr. Spencer experience after Ebola?
- How do discussions about Ebola, COVID-19, and Lyme disease differ?
- What do we know about long COVID?
- What symptoms do long-COVID patients share with Lyme disease patients?
- What other illnesses may lead to similar chronic symptoms?
- What might cause these persistent symptoms?
- Is testing available for persistent symptoms?
- Why are chronic post-infectious conditions so frustrating for patients and doctors?
For a comprehensive overview of the connection between long COVID and Lyme disease — including my peer-reviewed research on 889 patients — see
Long COVID and Lyme Disease: What Patients Need to Know.
Thanks for listening to another Inside Lyme Podcast. You can read more about these cases in my show notes and on my website at DanielCameronMD.com.
As always, your likes, comments, reviews, and shares help spread awareness about Lyme disease.
Please remember that the advice given is general and not intended as specific advice for any individual patient. If you require specific medical advice, please consult an experienced healthcare professional.
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Related Articles
References
- Belluz J. Long COVID isn’t as unique as we thought. Vox.
- Lopez-Leon S et al. More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19: systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Logigian EL, Kaplan RF, Steere AC. Chronic neurologic manifestations of Lyme disease. N Engl J Med.
- Cameron DJ, Johnson LB, Maloney EL. Evidence assessments and guideline recommendations in Lyme disease.
This is a fascinating topic! Both my daughter and I have long been plagued with long term symptoms after having a long battle with Lyme disease! During all the Covid situation, I have asked multiple people why the medical community is so quick to realize that Covid-19 has caused long term symptoms but many of them have absolutely refused to believe that it can happen with Lyme patients! Thank you so much for this podcast!
There is no doubt that more research needs to be done on Lyme disease and the miserable co-infections with it. There are two main problems lacking with this illness and many people are suffering due to that, some have died with lack of proper treatment. We need atleast two important things to begin to address this problem. The number one thing is knowledge and training the second is labs who are expert at this which we really don’t have many of on the east coast. Igenics is in California and many insurances will not pay for this Lab testing, a shame because they are the best and the only ones that I know of who are on track , there are probably more that I have not heard of!
for this problem .