Chronic symptoms attributed to Lyme borreliosis can be challenging to diagnose and treat. This state of the art and systematic review in the BMJ by Kullberg and collaborators offers a roadmap for physicians how to provide the best possible and personalised care for their patients.
Lyme borreliosis is the most common vectorborne disease in the northern hemisphere. It usually begins with erythema migrans; early disseminated infection particularly causes multiple erythema migrans or neurologic disease, and late manifestations predominantly include arthritis in North America, and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA) in Europe. Diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis is based on characteristic clinical signs and symptoms, complemented by serological confirmation of infection once an antibody response has been mounted. Manifestations usually respond to appropriate antibiotic regimens, but the disease can be followed by sequelae, such as immune arthritis or residual damage to affected tissues. A subset of individuals reports persistent symptoms, including fatigue, pain, arthralgia, and neurocognitive symptoms, which in some people are severe enough to fulfil the criteria for post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. The reported prevalence of such persistent symptoms following antimicrobial treatment varies considerably, and its pathophysiology is unclear. Persistent active infection in humans has not been identified as a cause of this syndrome, and randomized treatment trials have invariably failed to show any benefit of prolonged antibiotic treatment. For prevention of Lyme borreliosis, post-exposure prophylaxis may be indicated in specific cases, and novel vaccine strategies are under development.
Researchers involved
Publication
Bart Jan Kullberg, Hedwig D Vrijmoeth, Freek van de Schoor, Joppe W Hovius. Lyme borreliosis: diagnosis and management. BMJ, 2020; 369: m1041 | doi: 10.1136/bmj.m1041
