Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

Lyme Disease Triggers Inflammation in “Hindbrain”

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-inflammation-hindbrain/

Lyme disease triggers inflammation in “hindbrain”

lyme-disease-inflammation-brain

A 52-year-old woman was hospitalized with rhombencephalitis (inflammation of the rhombencephalon, also known as the hindbrain). The condition was found to be triggered by an infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease.

By

In their article, “Neuroborreliosis with involvement of rhombencephalon: A case report,” ¹ Svingen and colleagues describe a unique presentation in which Lyme disease triggered inflammation of the rhombencephalon, a region of the brain also referred to as the hindbrain.

Over an 8-month period, the patient experienced intermittent fevers, dry cough, fatigue, headaches, night sweats, unintentional weight loss of about 15 lbs., double vision, a tremor in the neck, paresthesia and tremor in the extremities, an unsteady gait, and memory loss.

Approximately 4 weeks prior to symptom onset, the woman had been vacationing in a Lyme-endemic region of Norway. However, she did not recall a tick bite or rash.

“An MRI scan demonstrated pathology in rhombencephalon with quite symmetric T2 hyperintensity involving capsula interna bilaterally, extending through mesencephalon to pons,” the authors wrote.

Borrelia burgdorferi-specific IgM and IgG antibodies were identified using Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA).

An MRI scan revealed inflammation in rhombencephalon (also referred to as the hindbrain) that are extremely rare in patients with Lyme disease, the authors wrote.

The patient was treated successfully for 4 weeks with intravenous ceftriaxone.

“The MRI findings in rhombencephalon had almost disappeared,” according to the authors. Seven months later, a follow-up MRI “was completely normal, and she had further improvement of her symptoms.”

The authors suggest, “Significant improvement of neurological symptoms and resolution of the MRI findings after proper treatment confirmed the diagnosis neuroborreliosis with rhombencephalitis.”

Furthermore, “we recommend that neuroborreliosis should be considered among the differential diagnoses in patients where neurological symptoms and findings suggesting inflammation in the CNS, despite unusual or normal neuroimaging findings.”

Rhombencephalitis can be caused by infections with Listeria monocytogenes as the most common agent followed by Enterovirus 71 and Herpes simplex virus, the authors wrote. However, it is “exceedingly rare” to find Borrelia burgdorferi as an infectious cause of rhombencephalitis.
References:
  1. Svingen H, Orrem J, Nørgaard Eskesen A. Neuroborreliosis with involvement of rhombencephalon: A case report. IDCases. 2022;28:e01472. Published 2022 Mar 8. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01472

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**Comment**

Please remember everything is considered “rare” regarding Lyme, even though many may have the symptoms.  They are rarely recorded.  Big difference.

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Category:

Lyme, research, Treatment

Disorientation & Lyme

https://www.globallymealliance.org/blog/where-am-i-disorientation-and-lyme-disease

Where Am I? Disorientation and Lyme Disease

by Jennifer Crystal on April 22, 2022

<img src="https://www.globallymealliance.org/hubfs/Gala%20PR%20Image-54.jpg&quot; alt="Where Am I? Disorientation and Lyme Disease“>
Do you know what it’s like to have Lyme disease and suffer from disorientation? It can result in confusion or forgetfulness.

The other night while making dinner, I thought of something I needed to add to my to-do list. I walked a few feet into my home office, got to the center of the room, and stopped in my tracks. “What am I doing here?” I said aloud, looking around in confusion.

It’s a feeling many of you have probably experienced: walking into a room to get something and forgetting what you came for; or being in the middle of one task, starting another, and forgetting the first (luckily, I did not leave dinner burning on the stove). Sometimes we can chalk these moments up to the forgetfulness that comes with aging. Sometimes we’re just tired at the end of a busy day. In some cases, these incidents may be early indications of serious conditions like dementia.

And for many, forgetfulness and confusion, particularly as they relate to disorientation, are due to Lyme disease. In their book Conquering Lyme Disease: Science Bridges the Great Divide, Brian A. Fallon, MD and Jennifer Sotsky, MD note that the most typical cognitive effects of Lyme disease are “short-term memory problems (especially working memory), word-finding problems, dyslexic changes, executive problems (difficulties with planning and organization, difficulties with multitasking), and mental slowing.” For some patients, these effects can lead to “spatial disorientation such that familiar routes become suddenly difficult to navigate or appear unfamiliar.”[1]

Luckily for me, even at my lowest points of illness, I never got so disoriented that I didn’t actually know where I was. In those days it might take hours to remember why I walked into a room—I might wake up in the middle of the night and jot down that all-important item on my to-do list—but now, years into remission, I usually remember my task within a few minutes. Drs. Fallon and Sotsky write, “Such errors are readily recognized soon after the fact, but may be sources of alarm or perplexity to the patient and to his or her family.”[i]

For some Lyme patients, alarm bells indeed ring, because the disorientation becomes severe. They may suddenly get lost driving home from work, or go for a walk and not recognize their own neighborhood. They may have to call a family member or neighbor for help. Some stop driving altogether, or won’t go places without company. Disorientation can leave Lyme patients feeling frustrated, angry, confused, and ashamed. It can be yet another blow to their independence.

The good news is that with adequate treatment, disorientation usually gets better or goes away. Neurological symptoms of Lyme disease occur when the Lyme disease bacteria (spirochetes) cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the central nervous system. The infection causes inflammation in the brain, which can manifest in a host of neurological and psychiatric symptoms. Once the infection gets treated, symptoms often subside (though due to Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions, they may get worse before they get better). In other words, though you may literally get lost, with the help of a good Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) you can  eventually find your way.

Sources

[1] Fallon, Brian A., MD and Sotsky, Jennifer, MD. Conquering Lyme Disease: Science Bridges the Great Divide. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018 (314-15).

[i] Fallon, Brian A., MD and Sotsky, Jennifer, MD. Conquering Lyme Disease: Science Bridges the Great Divide. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018 (314-15).

Writer

Jennifer Crystal

Opinions expressed by contributors are their own. Jennifer Crystal is a writer and educator in Boston. Her work has appeared in local and national publications including Harvard Health Publishing and The Boston Globe. As a GLA columnist for over six years, her work on GLA.org has received mention in publications such as The New Yorker, weatherchannel.com, CQ Researcher, and ProHealth.com. Jennifer is a patient advocate who has dealt with chronic illness, including Lyme and other tick-borne infections. Her memoir about her medical journey is forthcoming. Contact her via email below.

Email: lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com

Category:

Lyme, Psychological Aspects

Tulane Researcher Asks, “Could Chronic Lyme Contribute to Alzheimer’s Dementia?”

https://www.lymedisease.org/embers-lyme-alzheimers-dementia/

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Focus – Opinions and Features
LymeDisease.org
15 APR 2022

Tulane researcher asks, “Could chronic Lyme contribute to Alzheimer’s dementia?”

By Kris Newby, Invisible International

In 2019, the late-great-science-writer Sharon Begley wrote an insightful article, “The maddening saga of how an Alzheimer’s ‘cabal’ thwarted progress toward a cure for decades.”

Begley’s reporting described how a powerful group of researchers became fixated on one theory of Alzheimer’s causation at the expense of all others.

Their hypothesis: that Alzheimer’s cognitive decline was caused by neuron-killing, beta-amyloid protein clumps in the brain, and that if you dissolved the clumps, the disease process would stop.

As this theory hit a brick wall, Begley showed how the actions of the cabal harmed patients: “…for decades, believers in the dominant hypothesis suppressed research on alternative ideas: They influenced what studies got published in top journals, which scientists got funded, who got tenure, and who got speaking slots at reputation-buffing scientific conferences.”

Decades later, with no cure or effective drugs for Alzheimer’s dementia, some researchers are gathering evidence on a different causation theory — that dementia could be triggered by any number of chronic infectious diseases, and that amyloid plaques are a byproduct of an active infection, not the cause.

One of these researchers is Monica Embers, PhD, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane National Primate Research Center. She’s also the leading expert in identifying treatments that can eradicate Lyme bacteria infections in nonhuman primates, our closest mammalian relatives.

CME course on infection and dementia

In her new continuing medical education course, “Chronic Infection and the Etiology of Dementia,” she lays out the evidence that the Lyme bacteria could be one possible cause of dementia.

Her theory is this: When pathogens like the Lyme bacteria sneak past the blood-brain barrier, the immune system doesn’t allow protective killer cells from the entering the inflexible brain cavity, because resulting brain inflammation and swelling could lead to death.

Instead, it encapsulates invading microbes with protein clumps, called beta-amyloid plaques or Lewy bodies, to stop the infection. As a person ages, the bodily processes that clean up this “brain gunk” slows, resulting in protein accumulation that impedes brain signaling and kills neurons.

In her 31-minute course, Dr. Embers describes the clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia, the impact on public health, genetic risks, and the list of infections associated with dementia-like symptoms.

The course also reviews a well-documented case study about a 54-year-old woman who was treated for the Lyme bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi), developed dementia, then died 15 years after the initial infection. After death, B. burgdorferi was identified by PCR (DNA detection) in her brain and central nervous system (CNS) tissues, and by immunofluorescent staining of the bacteria in the spinal cord. (For more, read this peer-reviewed study.)

Dr. Embers and her study’s co-authors conclude, “These studies offer proof of the principle that persistent infection with the Lyme disease spirochete may have lingering consequences on the CNS. Published in postmortem brain autopsy images and extensive pathology tests are a compelling reason to pursue this line of scientific inquiry.”

You can watch this free CME course here.

Kris Newby is Communications Director of Invisible International, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation dedicated to reducing suffering from invisible illnesses. The organization offers 24 free, online Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses on the diagnostics, epidemiology, immunology, symptoms, and treatment of Lyme disease, bartonellosis, and other vector-borne infections. 

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Category:

Alzheimer's, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research

“Ehrlichia,” Rhapsody in Discomfort #6

https://www.lymedisease.org/ehrlichia-rhapsody-discomfort

TOUCHED BY LYME: “Ehrlichia,” Rhapsody in Discomfort #6

April 11, 2022

Dan Flanagan is a professional violinist and composer based in Northern California. He takes pleasure in creating music for solo violins and small ensembles. He often pairs his compositions with paintings from artists who inspire him—sort of a multi-media artistic approach, if you will.

I haven’t met him. But in the introduction to the following YouTube video, Dan comes across like a playful guy with an impish sense of humor.

Yet beneath the surface, there is much more to his story.

Dan has made his way in the music world despite severe muscle, joint and nerve pain—and other unpleasant realities—that have plagued him since the age of 12.

Finally, a diagnosis

Five years ago, at 37, after years of seeking out different doctors in search of relief from his agony, he was finally diagnosed with Borrelia (Lyme), Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichia, relapsing fever, and Epstein-Barr virus. (He does not recall ever being bitten by a tick.) Since the diagnosis, he’s undergone a wide variety of treatments that so far haven’t achieved the level of healing he has long sought.

“While it’s possible that these things have helped a little or at least slowed down the progression, I’m still miserable,” he says.

Physically playing the violin is a struggle for Dan, because of stiff muscles and other symptoms. But he says that music is what keeps him going, his raison d’etre, what gives meaning to his life. So, he carries on.

Putting pain to music

In the spirit of focusing on what he loves to do, Dan recently composed a short piece of music entitled “Ehrlichia,” Rhapsody in Discomfort #6.

Here’s how he explains it:

“Ehrlichia” is written in Rondo form. The repeated Rondo theme, representing the disease traveling through the body, is a fast moving, feverish collection of scales in C minor.

Each digression represents a different symptom experienced by the victim, and each return of the Rondo theme mutates as the disease develops.

Traditional harmonies, tonal clusters, and extended techniques combine to create feelings of discomfort, exhaustion, confusion, fear, and hope. Indeed, toward the end of the piece, the violin represents the attack of antibiotics with piercing and relentless C major chords, followed by temporary calm.

Beginning with a pizzicato tick bite, “Ehrlichia” brings the listener through the tribulations of a Lyme disease patient, ending with joyous relief and tranquility… followed by relapse.

With the aid of a financial grant from IntermusicSF, an arts advocacy organization, Dan has created a video of his three-person ensemble performing this work. He has made it available for all to see.

In the video above, Dan is playing with his friends Paul and Vicky Ehrlich. Amused that their last name closely resembles one of his infections, he chose the title “Ehrlichia” for this piece of music. Their ensemble goes by the name “Trio Solano.”

The video also features a painting that Dan commissioned from East Coast artist Nancy Schroeder, who also has Lyme disease and co-infections (including Ehrlichia).

At the end of the video, he includes information about Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, with URLs for more information.

“Ehrlichia,” Rhapsody in Discomfort #6 is a remarkable piece of music and the video is beautifully shot and edited. However, the musicians sit in a grassy meadow. I must admit, I found myself nervously hoping they were all wearing permethrin-treated clothing, with bug repellent on their bare skin!

I emailed Dan to ask him about it—and he assured me, the three took proper precautions to protect themselves from ticks. Whew! Good to know.

The Bow and the Brush

He continues to work on the music that sustains him. He will make his Carnegie Hall debut with “The Bow and the Brush,” a solo violin recital on October 3. Every piece on the program will be a world premiere, commissioned or composed by Dan, with images of the art projected during the performance.

The West Coast Premiere of “The Bow and the Brush” will take place at UC Berkeley on October 16. Learn more about Dan’s work and his upcoming performances at his website.

Photo credit: Russ Gold

Click here to learn how to protect yourself from ticks

TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, LymeDisease.org’s Vice-president and Director of Communications. She is co-author of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org.

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**Comment**

Yes, it definitely makes my skin crawl and fantastically represents Lyme/MSIDS audibly.

My first concern was about the musicians sitting in grassy woods….glad they took precautions as that would have seriously impeded my ability to listen!

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Category:

Activism, Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, Tickborne Relapsing Fever, Viruses

Multiple Sclerosis – The Infection Connection – Parts 1 & 2

https://zerospin.substack.com/p/multiple-sclerosis-the-infection

Multiple Sclerosis–The Infection Connection–Part 1

Are we driving full speed in the wrong direction? Could it be time for a left-turn?

Over the years I’ve been asked the same question by lots of patients, “With all the money that’s gone into MS research, why hasn’t it been solved yet?” —Maybe they’re looking in all the wrong places. This is the info I wish my MS patients had years before they met me. 

Since opening my doors in 1996, my medical practice focus has been chronic illness, with my continued goal being to find and treat cause(s), rather than only treating symptoms—Most people don’t know that many chronic infections underlie and cause a range of chronic illnesses. And the data supporting this for multiple sclerosis is compelling. Treating infections early leads to better outcomes—If there are infectious causes to MS, it’s likewise a time-sensitive issue, to treat the infection before disability sets in. This is counter to the prevailing autoimmune dogma, so this post will be a trip down the rabbit hole and back up, exploring these infections and ultimately showing how they weave together into the autoimmune tapestry.

This post is divided into 2 parts. Part 1 reviews the standard view of MS & why I think it needs a re-write. Part 2 looks at the potential infectious drivers of this illness.  (See link for article)

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https://zerospin.substack.com/p/ms-the-infection-connection-part

MS–The Infection Connection–Part 2

Answers hidden in plain hindsight.

This is the 2nd half of a two-part post about MS. In this part, I explore infections likely to cause MS. It took me 3 weeks of research—I hope it helps someone you love. Refer to Part 1 for the basics of MS, its epidemiology suggesting infection, and the lackluster outcomes from current MS treatments. (See link for article)

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Category:

diet and nutrition, Lyme, Treatment, Viruses