Disseminated Lyme disease and dilated cardiomyopathy: A systematic review.

Lyme carditis is a well-established manifestation of early disseminated Lyme infection, yet the relationship between late disseminated Lyme disease and the development of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains unclear. The present systematic review aims to summarize existing literature on the association between late disseminated Lyme disease and DCM. A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, and MEDLINE databases, after which a total of 11 observational studies (n = 771) were ultimately included for final data extraction. Although most studies (7/11) identified evidence associating Borrelia-infection with DCM, further research is required to isolate late disseminated Borrelia infection as a causative agent of DCM.

The presenting characteristics of erythema migrans vary by age, sex, duration, and body location.

PURPOSE: The erythema migrans (EM) skin lesion is often the first clinical sign of Lyme disease. Significant variability in EM presenting characteristics such as shape, color, pattern, and homogeneity, has been reported. We studied associations between these presenting characteristics, as well as whether they were associated with age, sex, EM duration, body location, and initiation of antibiotics. METHODS: Two hundred and seventy one adult participants with early Lyme disease who had a physician-diagnosed EM skin lesion of ≥ 5 cm in diameter and ≤ 72 h of antibiotic treatment were enrolled. Participant demographics, clinical characteristics, and characteristics of their primary EM lesion were recorded. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounders, EM size increased along with increasing EM duration to a peak of 14 days. Male EM were found to be on average 2.18 cm larger than female EM. The odds of a red (vs blue/red) EM were 65% lower in males compared to females, and were over 3 times as high for EM found on the pelvis, torso, or arm compared to the leg. Age remained a significant predictor of central clearing in adjusted models; for every 10-year increase in age, the odds of central clearing decreased 25%. CONCLUSIONS: Given that EM remains a clinical diagnosis, it is essential that both physicians and the general public are aware of its varied manifestations. Our findings suggest possible patterns within this variability, with implications for prompt diagnosis and treatment initiation, as well as an understanding of the clinical spectrum of EM.

Lyme Disease in the Era of COVID-19: A Delayed Diagnosis and Risk for Complications.

We describe a patient with fever and myalgia who did not have COVID-19 but instead had Lyme disease. We propose that the co-occurrence of COVID-19 and Lyme disease during the spring of 2020 resulted in a delayed diagnosis of Lyme disease due to COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in healthcare workflow and diagnostic reasoning. This delayed diagnosis of Lyme disease in the patient we describe resulted in disseminated infection and sixth nerve palsy. We present the use of telemedicine to aid in the diagnosis of Lyme disease and to provide prompt access to diagnosis and care during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and in the future.

The Clinical, Symptom, and Quality-of-Life Characterization of a Well-Defined Group of Patients with Posttreatment Lyme Disease Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The increased incidence and geographic expansion of Lyme disease has made it the most common vector-borne infection in North America. Posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) represents a subset of patients who remain ill following standard antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease. The spectrum of symptoms and their impact on quality of life remain largely unexplored among patients with well-documented PTLDS. OBJECTIVE: To characterize a case series of patients with well-documented PTLDS compared to a sample of healthy controls. METHODS: Sixty-one participants met the proposed case definition for PTLDS. Twenty-six healthy controls had neither a clinical history of Lyme disease nor current antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi. Participants with PTLDS and controls were evaluated by physical exam, clinical laboratory testing, standardized questionnaires, and a 36-item current symptom list. RESULTS: Compared to controls, participants with PTLDS reported significantly greater fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and depression (Fatigue Severity Scale: 50.0 ± 10.6 vs. 19.8 ± 8.6; Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire: 13.7 ± 8.3 vs. 0.8 ± 1.9; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: 10.1 ± 4.7 vs. 4.1 ± 2.1; Beck Depression Inventory-II: 15.1 ± 7.7 vs. 2.2 ± 3.2; p < 0.001 for each), and significantly lower quality of life (SF-36 Physical Component Score: 33.9 ± 9.7 vs. 55.1 ± 6.2; Mental Component Score: 42.9 ± 10.1 vs. 54.2 ± 5.4; p < 0.001 for each). Nineteen non-PTLDS-defining symptoms were found to be significantly more severe among participants with PTLDS than controls, including sleep difficultly and visual complaints. Initial delayed or misdiagnosis was characterized in 59.0% of participants with PTLDS, and 32.2% had abnormal vibratory sense. CONCLUSION: Although physical exam and clinical laboratory tests showed few objective abnormalities, standardized symptom questionnaires revealed that patients with PTLDS are highly and clinically significantly symptomatic, with poor health-related quality of life. PTLDS patients exhibited levels of fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbance, and depression which were both clinically relevant and statistically significantly higher than controls. Our study shows that PTLDS can be successfully identified using a systematic approach to diagnosis and symptom measurement. As the prevalence of PTLDS continues to rise, there will be an increased need for physician education to more effectively identify and manage PTLDS as part of integrated patient care.