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Lyme disease - chronic persistent - Treatment

Alternative Names

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

Treatment:

Antibiotics are given to fight the infection. Medications sometimes need to be given through a vein (intravenously).

Treating patients for longer periods of time is generally not thought to be helpful, even if symptoms do not go away.

Expectations (prognosis):

Arthritis symptoms may not get better with treatment. Other symptoms should improve with treatment.

Rarely, a person will continue to have symptoms that can sometimes interfere with daily life or activities. Some people call this post-Lyme disease syndrome. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for people with these symptoms.

Complications:

Arthritis symptoms may continue.

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if you develop symptoms, especially if you have had Lyme disease before, or live or travel in high-risk areas.

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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