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Lyme disease - chronic persistent - Symptom

Alternative Names

Tertiary Lyme disease; Stage 3 Lyme disease; Late persistent Lyme disease

Symptoms:

Chronic persistent Lyme disease can affect the skin, brain and nervous system, and muscles, bones, and cartilage.

Symptoms include:

Chronic arthritis
Joint inflammation in the knees and other large joints
Memory loss
Mood changes
Sleep disorders

Other symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

Signs and tests:

A blood test can be done to check for antibodies to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The most common one used is the ELISA for Lyme disease test. A Western blot test is done to confirm ELISA results.

A spinal tap will be abnormal if the patient has central nervous system symptoms related to the disease.

Lyme disease organism, Borrelia burgdorferi

Deer ticks

Ticks

Lyme disease - Borrelia burgdorferi organism

Tertiary Lyme disease

Tick imbedded in the skin

Reviewed last on: 5/20/2008
Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Feder HM Jr, Johnson BJ, O'Connell S, Shapiro ED, Steere AC, Wormser GP. Ad Hoc International Lyme Disease Group. A critical appraisal of "chronic Lyme disease." N Engl J Med. 2007;357:1422-1430.

Halperin JJ, Shapiro ED, Logigian E, Belman AL, Dotevall L, Wormser GP, et al. Practice parameter: treatment of nervous system Lyme disease (an evidence-based review): report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 2007;69:91-102.

Wormser GP, Dattwyler RJ, Shapiro ED, Halperin JJ, Steere AC, Klempner MS, et al. The clinical assessment, treatment, and prevention of Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, and babesiosis: clinical practice guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin Infect Dis. 2006;43:1089:1134.

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