ABSTRACT
In the last decade the number of patients with Lyme disease has been continuously growing worldwide including Poland. Psychiatric examinations with the help of psychometric tests were performed in the group of 77 patients with arthritis, in 20 with neuroborreliosis and 26 with erythema migrans. First evaluations started before antibiotic therapy, second 5-6 months after the treatment, third one year since the first assessment. Mental state examinations and psychometric testing revealed in majority of the patients, mainly in those suffered from neuroborreliosis and erythrema migrans evidence of various psychiatric symptomatology. The range of psychiatric presentations included: mild cognitive deficits, organic mood disorders, mild dementias, depressive and anxiety episodes with non organic etiology.
Subject(s)
Arthritis/epidemiology , Cognition Disorders/epidemiology , Lyme Disease/epidemiology , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Adult , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Erythema/metabolism , Female , Humans , International Classification of Diseases , Lyme Disease/drug therapy , Male , Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Poland/epidemiology , Time Factors , Wechsler ScalesABSTRACT
North-East of Poland is an area endemic for borreliosis. Psychiatric disorders, the most common for the late stage, are more and more frequent manifestations of Lyme disease. The aim of this study is to assess the incidence of different psychiatric complications and identify the spectrum of symptoms and psychopathological syndromes associated with Borrelia burgdorferi infection. Lyme disease causes a variety of psychiatric symptoms. They are less common in skin type of borreliosis manifested by skin erythema.
Subject(s)
Lyme Disease/psychology , Mental Disorders/etiology , Adult , Female , Humans , Incidence , Lyme Disease/epidemiology , Male , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Middle AgedABSTRACT
The study was undertaken to investigate, reported in earlier studies significant link, between schizophrenia, alcohol dependence and penalty. A representative sample was selected from schizophrenic patients with diagnosis of alcohol dependence hospitalized in psychiatric hospital in Choroszcz in the period of 1998-2000. They were compared with non-alcohol-abusing control patients with schizophrenia. All subjects were assessed for life-time legal problems using detailed questionnaires, family interviews and case histories. Patients with schizophrenia and alcohol dependence engaged more often in criminal activity. Personality disorders and history of head traumas might have contributed to an increase of antisocial behavior.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/epidemiology , Crime/legislation & jurisprudence , Schizophrenia/epidemiology , Adult , Antisocial Personality Disorder/epidemiology , Comorbidity , Crime/statistics & numerical data , Female , Hospitalization , Hospitals, Psychiatric , Humans , Male , Poland/epidemiology , Schizophrenia/rehabilitation , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Lyme borreliosis is a chronic, multisystem disease, of prolong course with three consecutive stages, caused by a tick-transmitted spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE) is neuroinfection caused by Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus (TBEV). OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the occurrence of psychiatric manifestations in the early phase of borreliosis-erythema migrans and neuroboreliosis as well as in its late phase--in arthritis and in the Tick-Born Encephalitis. The aim of the study was to single out the most frequent psychiatric symptoms and psychopathological syndroms and to determine their dynamics. METHODS: The study was carried out between 1999 and 2000 and comprised 174 patients of the Department of Psychiatry and Department of Infectious and Neuroinfectious Diseases of Medical Academy in Bialystok. Seventy seven patients diagnosed with arthritis, 20 with neuroborreliosis, 26 with skin manifestation-erythrema migrans and 51 with KZM participated. All subjects underwent psychiatric evaluation twice--during hospitalization and six month after discharge. Mental status examinations included general psychiatric examination and battery of scales and tests: Mini Mental State Examination, Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Reitan's Trail Making Test, Choynowsky Memory Scale, Symptoms Inventory and neuropsychological testing. RESULTS: Both in the course of TBE and Lyme borreliosis the majority of patients experienced psychiatric problems in the acute phase of disease as well as in the late phase--3, 6 months after the onset of the disease. The most common psychiatric manifestations were depressive disorders--episodes of depression or organic mood disorders, and cognitive deficits which manifest themselves as mild cognitive disorder or dementia. CONCLUSION: Psychiatric assessment is important in early stage of kzm and borreliosis but first of all after termination of acute symptomatology.
