Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

Mitral Valve Dysfunction from Lyme Carditis

https://danielcameronmd.com/mitral-valve-dysfunction-lyme-carditis/

Mitral valve dysfunction from Lyme carditis

Man being examined with stethescope for mitral valve problems from Lyme carditis.

Lyme carditis is an uncommon but important manifestation of Lyme disease. In their study, Malik and colleagues describe the case of a young man with Lyme carditis with left ventricular dysfunction and valvular involvement occurring one week after a tick bite. [1]

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The 22-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with cardiac problems. He suffered from morbid obesity and  complained of chest pain and lightheadedness for several days. During his examination, he was sweaty with a fast pulse of 115. He also reported having an erythema migrans (EM) rash.

Clinicians initially suspected the patient had non-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and prescribed intravenous heparin, the authors explain in the case report, “Early Onset Lyme Myopericarditis With Left Ventricular Dysfunction and Mitral Regurgitation.”

“Echocardiogram was done which showed a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 49% with mild diffuse hypokinesis, and moderate to severe mitral regurgitation,” the authors wrote.

Test results were positive for Lyme disease and the man was treated with intravenous ceftriaxone.

“If left untreated, Lyme carditis can lead to acute heart failure and sudden cardiac death thus prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential in management.”

“A repeat echocardiogram was performed, which showed an improvement of the previously visualized mitral regurgitation and normalization of LVEF,” the authors wrote.

The patient had a marked improvement in his symptoms and resolution of his rash. He was discharged home with a 3-week course of oral doxycycline.

“On a 1-month follow-up, patient remains asymptomatic and is back to his previous baseline,” according to the authors.

Cardiac manifestations in Lyme disease typically occur 1 to 2 months after the onset of infection, the authors wrote.  “In our patient, however, Lyme carditis was seen a little over 1 week after known tick exposure.”

A growing number of cardiac manifestations due to Lyme disease have been described. “Clinical manifestations of Lyme carditis include arrhythmias, conduction abnormalities, myopericarditis, ventricular dysfunction, and acute heart failure,” the authors wrote.

“Left ventricular dysfunction, as seen in our patient, has been reported to have an incidence of 0.5%.”

Valvular dysfunction due to Lyme carditis is rare. “To date, about 7 cases of valvular involvement in Lyme carditis have been reported making this phenomenon exceedingly rare.”

“If there is a high suspicion for Lyme carditis, empiric treatment with antibiotics should be started while the initial evaluation is pending.”

Death from Lyme carditis is rare. “A case series published by the CDC reported 3 individual deaths that were attributed to Lyme disease by postmortem examination indicating that lack of treatment can lead to fatalities.”

Shen and colleagues described the death of a 25-year-old man with Lyme carditis. “He presented with syncope and second-degree Mobitz type 2 heart block, as well as disseminated erythema migrans rash.”²

The patient received a temporary pacemaker and was discharged after 4 days of intravenous ceftriaxone.

“The patient returned home to a different state and reportedly died at home about 1 week after discharge.” There was no autopsy report or records to determine the cause of death.

Related Articles:

Podcast: Young man dies from Lyme carditis
Lyme carditis diagnosis: 18 cases
Patients can die when Lyme carditis is not treated

References:
  1. Malik MB, Baluch A, Adhikari S, Quraeshi S, Rao S. Early Onset Lyme Myopericarditis With Left Ventricular Dysfunction and Mitral Regurgitation. J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep. Jan-Dec 2021;9:23247096211045267. doi:10.1177/23247096211045267
  2. Shen RV, McCarthy CA, Smith RP. Lyme Carditis in Hospitalized Children and Adults, a Case Series. Open Forum Infect Dis. Jul 2021;8(7):ofab140. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofab140

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For more:

Category:

Heart Issues, Lyme, research, Treatment

How to Get Unstuck With the Lyme Recovery Roadmap

https://rawlsmd.com/health-articles/how-to-get-unstuck-with-the-lyme-recovery-roadmap

How to Get Unstuck with the Lyme Recovery Roadmap

by Dr. Bill Rawls
Updated 10/15/21

During your Lyme disease recovery, it’s not unusual to find yourself stuck from time to time, not knowing what to do to further heal and reduce undesirable symptoms. To overcome this all too common circumstance and experience progress again, you’ll want to pay careful attention to potential obstacles that can impede wellness and remove them.

While eliminating microbes and reducing symptoms are crucial pieces of the recovery puzzle, there’s always more to the story. The biggest reasons symptoms occur in the first place are because our bodies’ cells aren’t getting enough nutrients, oxygen, or water, and the waste and toxin removal mechanisms are compromised. Ultimately, getting well is a matter of minimizing the factors that are disrupting the health of your cells to the best of your ability.

Building a Strong Foundation of Natural Support

So then, what direction do you go in if you need to get unstuck? Start by building a strong foundation in your Lyme disease recovery.

key steps in building your foundation: suppress microbes, protect cells, inhibit inflammation, cellular connectivity, good flow

The bedrock of any comprehensive natural protocol should contain these three critical elements: antimicrobial herbs, immune-modulating herbs, and methylation and cellular support.

antimicrobial, immune-modulating, and methylation and cellular support

While many herbs have the potential to be of benefit to your recovery from chronic Lyme disease, certain ones rise to the top because they tackle the myriad of cellular stress factors you endure, helping to quell an environment where chronic illness flourishes.

My preferred herbs and supplements from the 3 categories above include:

1. Antimicrobial Herbs to Suppress Microbes

Many herbs have antimicrobial effects against borrelia, bartonella, babesia, mycoplasma, and more. In fact, recent research from Johns Hopkins University has shown that herbal therapy may be more effective at combating borrelia and babesia than medications. The following is a list of herbs to help form the basis of your Lyme protocol.

antimicrobial herbs andrographis, berberine, cats claw, sarsaparilla, garlic, and more

2. Immune-Modulating Herbs

Herbs with immune-modulating properties help to normalize the functions of the immune system, inhibiting dysfunctional chemical messengers called cytokines and restoring the immune system’s communication pathways.

Medicinal mushrooms, in particular, are a great way to modulate the immune system, but other herbs are helpful as well.

immune-modulating herbs reishi mushroom, cordyceps, rehmannia extract, and chinese skullcap

3. Methylation + Cellular Support

Finally, combining herbs with supplements that address methylation — the body’s biochemical process that switches on and off genes, regulates metabolism, mood, detoxification, and more — will amp up the cellular protection.

methylation and cellular support: activated b vitamins, glutathione, alpha lipoic acid, and more

Removing the Obstacles to Healing

When trying to remove obstacles to healing, it’s vital to understand this: It’s generally not one factor but multiple factors that set the stage for chronic immune dysfunction associated with stealth infections and chronic illness. Besides microbes, other stress factors compounding the problem include:

  • Unnatural diet
  • Toxic environment
  • Chronic Stress
  • Sedentary lifestyle

Let’s take a look at each of these obstacles, how they impact healing, and what we can do about them:

1. Poor Diet

The foods you eat equate to fuel for the body so that you have the energy you need to repair tissues and curb inflammation. Without sufficient nutrients, the opposite is true: your body is starved of the nourishment it needs to restore itself. And while the occasional slip-up might not be enough to through your recovery completely off track, repeatedly consuming foods devoid of nutrients presents significant challenges for the body.

excess carbohydrates leads to increased insulin levels, insulin resistance, immune suppression, and more

evaluate your diet with the self-assessment tool to determine if it's an obstacle to healing
answering no to one or more items in the diet assessment suggests diet is an obstacle to healing

General Diet Guidelines

To keep your diet as nutrient-dense as possible, consider the following guidelines.

general diet guidelines cook your vegetables, avoid fried foods, minimize carbohydrates, and chew your food

Some foods are problematic for many people because they contribute to food allergies, sensitivities, digestive issues, or increase the body’s toxic burden. Foods to consider nixing from your diet altogether are as follows:

foods to eliminate include lectins, dairy, alcohol, artificial preservatives, and artificial sweeteners

2. Toxins

Toxins are present in the foods you eat, the air you breathe, personal care products, household cleaners, and more. Toxins can have a profound influence on the body.

toxins compromise cellular energy production, disrupt hormones, promote inflammation, and more

evaluate your environment with the self-assessment tool to determine if it's an obstacle to healing
answering no to one or more items in the toxin assessment suggests toxins are an obstacle to healing

Although toxins can come from a variety of sources, you’re probably most familiar with mold and its mycotoxins. Unfortunately, mold exposure can curtail your efforts to get well — regardless of whether it’s “toxic” or even whether you’re allergic to mold. More than 50% of homes and more than 85% of commercial buildings in the U.S. have water damage and mold, even if you can’t see or smell it outright. Symptoms can range from mildly disruptive to serious and truly life-threatening. To clean up mold and your environment, put these tips into action:

eliminate mold by removing visible signs of it and cleaning heating units and air conditioners
eat organic food, filter your water, replace HVAC filters, and quit smoking to minimize other toxins

3. Stress

Chronic stress is very pervasive in modern life. Often people suffering from stress don’t realize that their symptoms are stress-related. Stress has the potential to disrupt all normal functions of the body and mind.

stress disrupts functions of the body like digestion, immune system, daily maintenance, and tissue repair

evaluate your stress levels with the self-assessment tool to determine if it is an obstacle to healing
answering no to one or more items in the stress assessment suggests stress is an obstacle to healing

Stress sends the sympathetic nervous system — the part of the nervous system associated with the “fight or flight” response — into overdrive, leading to issues like poor sleep, feelings of irritability or anxiousness, increased pain levels, among others. Since you can’t outrun stress, learning to manage it is one of the best steps you can take for your health.

dedicate time to stress relief by mediating, gardening, walking, or using herbs to support the stress response

dedicate time to improving sleep by taking a hot bath, blocking out excess light, and sleeping in a cool room

4. Inactivity

If you’re highly symptomatic or experiencing a relapse, moving your body might be the last thing you want to do. But even gentle, restorative exercise (restorative yoga, qigong, taking a stroll, doing leisurely laps in the pool) can help counter the pitfalls of being too sedentary.

inactivity decreases blood flow, increases toxin retention, disrupts immune function, and zaps energy

evaluate your activity level with the self-assessment tool to determine if it's an obstacle to healing
answering no to one or more items in the activity assessment suggests inactivity is an obstacle to healing

if you have limited activity levels, consider gentle exercises like restorative yoga, pilates, or qigong

if you are bedridden, avoid exercise until you feel ready or consider using an infrared sauna

What if Symptoms Persist?

Sometimes, you can do all the right things and still wind up perplexed as to what’s going on or what to do next. The good news, however, is there are still several options to consider.

First, do you need to add additional herbal support to combat coinfections? Some herbs to think about include:

if symptoms persist, try additional herbal support like cryptolepis, black walnut, neem, or red root

Second, do you need the assistance of a heroic therapy — more potent interventions for when you feel like nothing else is moving the needle? For Lyme disease, the ones you’re most apt to be prescribed or recommended are:

heroic therapies are more potent interventions like antibiotics, rife machines, ozone, and hyperthermia therapy

Wellness is Within Reach

Treating Lyme disease requires persistence as you slowly chip away at layers of dysfunction and cellular stress factors. While it can be overwhelming, whenever you get stuck, go back to the basics and look for the areas where you might have gotten off track.

self check-ins are crucial each week to make sure you're staying on track toward your goal of healing

Review this recovery roadmap, and do weekly self check-ins. Remain consistent with your protocol and celebrate all of your healing milestones — no matter how big or small they are. Soon, you’ll find yourself turning the corner.

Dr. Rawls is a physician who overcame Lyme disease through natural herbal therapy. You can learn more about Lyme disease in Dr. Rawls’ new best selling book, Unlocking Lyme.
You can also learn about Dr. Rawls’ personal journey in overcoming Lyme disease and fibromyalgia in his popular blog post, My Chronic Lyme Journey.

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**Comment**

If you are a newbie, or even an “advanced” patient, this article may really stress you out as there’s so much to learn, consider, and address.  The intent is never to overwhelm, but to enlighten as this is probably the toughest thing to treat and encompasses every bodily system.  Please, just learn what you can and take one thing at a time.  Most things cost money and time and patients are typically short on both so don’t beat up on yourself. 

Category:

Detoxing, diet and nutrition, Gut Health, Herbs, Inflammation, Lyme, Supplements, Treatment

Tick Bite Leads to Multiple Co-infections

https://danielcameronmd.com/tick-bite-multiple-co-infections/

Tick bite leads to multiple co-infections

Man in hospital bed with co-infections from a tick bite.

In their case report “One man, three tick-borne illnesses” Grant and colleagues describe a 70-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency department with ongoing fevers, ankle edema and nausea. [1] One month earlier he noticed a small raised red lesion on his left ankle, which he believed was an insect bite.

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“Two days after noting this ankle lesion, the patient noticed an erythematous rash on his neck and chest,” the authors explain. He was prescribed an antihistamine and 7-day course of trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole.

The rash resolved after 5 days of antibiotic treatment, but the man continued to have pain and swelling in his ankle.  The pain spread to his left hip and he was “diagnosed with sciatica and prescribed gabapentin.”

The patient had reportedly travelled to an endemic area of the United States. And was therefore, suspected of having a tick-borne illness.

“Physicians must maintain a high level of suspicion for co-infection, as untreated disease can result in long term and sometimes life-threatening sequelae,” the authors suggest.

He tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti serologies.

The patient’s symptoms improved with treatment, but one year later, he continued to have symptoms of neuropathy at the site of the presumed insect bite.

References:
  1. Grant L, Mohamedy I, Loertscher L. One man, three tick-borne illnesses. BMJ Case Rep. 2021 Apr 16;14(4):e241004. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2020-241004. PMID: 33863772; PMCID: PMC8055128.

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**Comment**

A perfect example of how mainstream medicine is hopelessly lost in its own hubris.

  1. Seven days of treatment of anything will not solve this
  2. trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole, commonly known as Bactrim DS will not touch Babesia at all
  3. Bactrim DS, while a great drug, should not be the first choice for Lyme disease – and he had a clear EM rash, which is diagnostic for Lyme – no testing required
  4. It is common knowledge that the EM rash will wax and wane all on its own and should never be used to determine if treatment is working or not
  5. Doxycycline is still the best front-line drug for both Lyme and Anaplasmosis, but is far from sufficient in and of itself
  6. It is not surprising at all that this poor man continued to suffer with neuropathy, which they will undoubtedly blame on anything but tick-borne illness and it will never occur to them in a million years to treat him with numerous antimicrobials simultaneously for far longer than 7 days.  Myopia is a a very real condition

For more:

For Lyme treatment:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/02/13/lyme-disease-treatment/

For Anaplasmosis treatment:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/category/anaplasmosis-treatment/

For Babesia Treatment:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/category/babesia-treatment/

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Lyme, research

Post-Infectious Fatigue & Your Vagus Nerve

https://www.lymedisease.org/post-infectious-fatigue-vagus-nerve/

LYME SCI: Post-infectious fatigue and your vagus nerve

By Lonnie Marcum

Nov. 3, 2021

In 2013, the pain management clinic at a large teaching hospital diagnosed my then-15-year-old daughter with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). This was after 10 months of being referred to many pediatric specialists, none of whom could find an answer to her mysterious illness.

One of the hallmarks of ME/CFS is post-exertional malaise—profound fatigue following activity that is not restored by rest. Fatigue is also the most common symptom reported in patients with Lyme disease. (Aucott 2013, Johnson 2014)

At the time of my daughter’s diagnosis, she was mostly bedbound. An hour of homework would require a week of recovery. She had many symptoms of Lyme disease (fatigue, headache, light sensitivity, memory loss, heart block, POTS, swollen knee, muscle pain, nausea…the list goes on) but three separate standard tests for Lyme were negative.

In the absence of a definitive diagnosis, patients are often lumped into the category of ME/CFS—a complex and disabling syndrome. First defined by the CDC in 1988, the symptoms of ME/CFS have been recorded for centuries. (Holmes, 1988)

The million-dollar question?

There is no question that many infectious agents can trigger chronic illness. Past pandemics with infection-triggered chronic fatigue include: Russian influenza 1889, polio 1916, SARS-CoV-1 2003, Zika 2015, Ebola 2016, and more recently, COVID 2019.

But not everyone who contracts these diseases becomes chronically ill. As PolyBio researcher Amy Proal, PhD, said at the 2021 LymeMind conference, “The million-dollar question is why? Why do some patients go on to develop long-term, chronic symptoms and others do not?”

Even more puzzling is why do patients infected with completely different pathogens (viruses, bacteria, parasites) have so many of the same flu-like symptoms?

For example, the pathogens that cause COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2, a virus) and Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterium) are vastly different. However, the chronic symptoms they leave behind are nearly identical: fatigue, brain fog, headaches, sensory issues, cognitive impairment, memory loss, sleep impairment, heart issues, muscle and joint aches/pain. The primary difference here being the respiratory symptoms among those with COVID-19. (Proal & VanElzakker 2021)

During the LDA/Columbia Lyme Conference, Dr. John Aucott, of Johns Hopkins University, reviewed several potential causes of “long-haul” symptoms for infectious diseases such as Lyme disease and COVID-19. These include: 1) persistent antigens and/or persistent infection; 2) immune inflammation and dysregulation; 3) neural network alterations.

One pathway that links all three of these elements (infection, inflammation, nervous system) together is called the vagus nerve. And one theory gaining recognition is the vagus nerve infection hypothesis, first proposed by Harvard neuroscientist Michael VanElzakker in 2013. (VanElzakker, 2013)

Because we know that Borrelia can infect the brain and the cranial nerves, this theory may explain why some patients remain ill following treatment for Lyme disease. (Gadila, 2021)

What is the vagus nerve?

The vagus nerve is the tenth (X) of 12 cranial nerves originating in the brain, denoted as CN-X. It originates from a portion of the brain responsible for autonomic function.

Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the nervous system that functions without you having to think about it. It regulates bodily functions such as breathing, heart rate, digestion, and blood pressure.

The vagus is the longest cranial nerve in the body. It innervates (supplies nerves to) every major trunk organ including the pancreas, liver, spleen, heart and bladder, along with the gastrointestinal lining and lymph nodes (Kenny and Bordoni, 2019). The Latin word vagus means “wandering.”

Twenty percent of the vagus nerve fibers lead away from the brain into the body (efferent), while 80 percent of the nerve fibers send signals from various points in the body back to the brain (afferent).

The most important function of the vagus nerve is afferent signaling. This is information brought from the inner organs—such as gut, liver, heart, and lungs—to the brain. Thus, our inner organs are a major source of sensory information to the brain.

The limbic system, amygdala and insular cortex are important central regions that are affected by vagus nerve signals. These areas of the brain are involved in regulating emotions, behavior, memory, and energy.

How does the vagus nerve affect autonomic function?

The ANS is divided into the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is often referred to as the “fight or flight” or “excitatory” system. It is a primitive system designed to respond and help you get out of danger.

Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1

The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), commonly known as the “rest and digest” or “inhibitory” system, promotes the opposite response of the SNS.

Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1

Both the SNS and PNS are involved when you become sick. Because we cannot feel, smell or see pathogens, the body uses the vagus nerve to sense when we are ill and send a message to the brain. This message triggers an adaptive response to the infection called “sickness behavior” or the “sickness response.”

However, if the infection or inflammation persists, this sickness response can become chronic, resulting in ME/CFS type symptoms.

How the vagus nerve causes flu-like symptoms

When a pathogen is detected, mast cells and glial cells release inflammatory markers and cytokines that trigger an immune response. The vagus nerve senses these markers and sends a message to the brain.  This causes flu-like symptoms: fever, fatigue, headache, sleep problems, loss of appetite, muscle/joint pain, nausea, autonomic dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, and others.

This constellation of symptoms causes a sickness response that is designed to make us rest. Ideally, during this rest period our body can use all its energy to fight the infection and recover from the illness. Farmers and pet owners may recognize such sickness behavior in their sick animals, as well.

For years, it has been thought that Borrelia spread to the nervous system via the blood stream. A recent publication indicates that central nervous system involvement in Lyme neuroborreliosis may be a result of Borrelia moving from the skin to the spinal cord via peripheral nerves. (Ogrinc, 2021)

The vagus nerve may be a pathway for this type of infection.

Vagus nerve infection hypothesis

The vagus nerve infection hypothesis theorizes that the chronic flu-like symptoms of ME/CFS are an exaggerated version of normal sickness behavior triggered by infection of the vagus nerve.

In theory, any infectious agent with a preference for nervous tissues (neurotropic) can cause a vagus nerve infection, including Borrelia.

The gut-brain axis

The gut is the largest organ innervated by the vagus nerve, making it a particularly important sensory organ. (Breit, 2018) Gut bacteria (both good and bad) communicate through the microbiota-gut-brain axis in a bidirectional way that directly involves the vagus nerve. (Bonaz, 2018)

A huge amount of data has highlighted a potential role of microbial dysbiosis (an imbalance of bacteria in the gut) in various chronic disorders (Lynch and Pedersen, 2016).

The standard treatment for Lyme disease involves the use of antibiotics, which can adversely affect gut bacteria. Researchers at Northeastern University are currently looking at how the microbiome may contribute to the chronic symptoms of Lyme.

Not only can imbalance of the microflora or microbiome in the gut cause inflammation that triggers the vagus nerve, but it can also contribute to a leaky blood-brain barrier contributing further to neurological and psychological symptoms in Lyme.

Treatment

Obviously, if there is an infection present it should be treated appropriately. Lyme disease is often accompanied with co-infections carried by the same tick, a separate tick bite, or possibly even a prior latent viral infection. Thus, treatment may involve antibiotics, anti-parasitics and antivirals.

As a benefit, some of the standard medications for Lyme disease have anti-inflammatory effects on the nervous system. However, not all of them are able to cross the blood-brain barrier.

For example, minocycline crosses the blood-brain barrier and in addition to anti-microbial activity, it has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic activities, inhibition of proteolysis, angiogenesis and tumor metastasis-inflammatory as well as neuro-protective properties. (Garrido-Mesa, 2013)

Self-Help

Following treatment, or even during treatment, if you are exhibiting symptoms of dysautonomia (dysfunction of the ANS), you may want to  try some of the non-prescription practices that worked for my daughter.

Another technique is the use of external (transdermal) vagus nerve stimulation, similar to a home TENS unit. (Diedrich 2021)

During the LymeMind conference, Dr. Sunjya Schweig, an integrative medicine specialist, tweeted this:

Stanley Rosenberg’s 2017 book “Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism” offers a simple explanation of Stephen Porges’s polyvagal theory.

Rosenberg’s book draws on more than 30 years of his experience as a hands-on craniosacral therapist and Rolfer. He offers immediate self-diagnostic and treatment techniques that can be done from the comfort of your home.

Main takeaway

Whether you have an active infection or the remnants of a previous infection, the vagus nerve may be contributing to your ongoing symptoms. Learning to recognize those symptoms and adding a few simple self-help techniques may help in your healing journey.

LymeSci is written by Lonnie Marcum, a Licensed Physical Therapist and mother of a daughter with Lyme. She serves on a subcommittee of the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group. Follow her on Twitter: @LonnieRhea  Email her at: lmarcum@lymedisease.org.

References

Aucott JN, Rebman AW, Crowder LA, Kortte KB. Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome symptomatology and the impact on life functioning: is there something here? Qual Life Res. 2013 Feb;22(1):75-84. doi: 10.1007/s11136-012-0126-6. PMID: 22294245; PMCID: PMC3548099.

Azcona Sáenz J, Herrán de la Gala D, Arnáiz García AM, Salas Venero CA, Marco de Lucas E. (2021) Atypical bacterial infections of the central nervous system transmitted by ticks: An unknown threat. Radiologia (Engl Ed). Sep-Oct;63(5):425-435. doi: 10.1016/j.rxeng.2021.07.002. PMID: 34625198

Bonaz, B., Bazin, T., & Pellissier, S. (2018). The Vagus Nerve at the Interface of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis. Frontiers in neuroscience, 12, 49. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00049

Breit S, Kupferberg A, Rogler G and Hasler G (2018) Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders. Front. Psychiatry 9:44. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00044

Coughlin et al. Imaging glial activation in patients with post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms: a pilot study using [11C]DPA-713 PET

Diedrich A, Urechie V, Shiffer D, Rigo S, Minonzio M, Cairo B, Smith EC, Okamoto LE, Barbic F, Bisoglio A, Porta A, Biaggioni I, Furlan R. (2021) Transdermal auricular vagus stimulation for the treatment of postural tachycardia syndrome. Auton Neurosci. Sept29;236:102886. doi: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102886. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34634682.

Ford, L., & Tufts, D. M. (2021). Lyme Neuroborreliosis: Mechanisms of B. burgdorferi Infection of the Nervous System. Brain sciences, 11(6), 789. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11060789

Gadila SKG, Rosoklija G, Dwork AJ, Fallon BA and Embers ME (2021) Detecting Borrelia Spirochetes: A Case Study With Validation Among Autopsy Specimens. Front. Neurol. 12:628045. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.628045

Garrido-Mesa, N., Zarzuelo, A., & Gálvez, J. (2013). Minocycline: far beyond an antibiotic. British journal of pharmacology, 169(2), 337–352. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.12139

Holmes GP, Kaplan JE, Gantz NM, Komaroff AL, Schonberger LB, Straus SE, Jones JF, Dubois RE, Cunningham-Rundles C, Pahwa S (1988). “Chronic fatigue syndrome: a working case definition”. Annals of Internal Medicine. 108 (3): 387–89. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-108-3-387. PMID 2829679.

Johnson L, Wilcox S, Mankoff J, Stricker RB. 2014. Severity of chronic Lyme disease compared to other chronic conditions: a quality of life survey. PeerJ 2:e322 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.322

Kenny BJ, Bordoni B. (Updated 2021) Neuroanatomy, Cranial Nerve 10 (Vagus Nerve) In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537171/

Lynch SV, Pedersen O. The Human Intestinal Microbiome in Health and Disease. N Engl J Med. 2016 Dec 15;375(24):2369-2379. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1600266. PMID: 27974040.

McCusker, R. H., & Kelley, K. W. (2013). Immune-neural connections: how the immune system’s response to infectious agents influences behavior. The Journal of experimental biology, 216(Pt 1), 84–98. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.073411

Ogrinc, K., Kastrin, A., Lotrič-Furlan, S., Bogovič, P., Rojko, T., Maraspin, V., Ružić-Sabljić, E., Strle, K., Strle, F. (2021) Colocalization of radicular pain and erythema migrans in patients with Bannwarth’s syndrome suggests a direct spread of borrelia into the central nervous system, Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciab867, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab867

Proal AD and VanElzakker MB (2021) Long COVID or Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC): An Overview of Biological Factors That May Contribute to Persistent Symptoms. Front. Microbiol. 12:698169. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.698169

VanElzakker MB. (2013) Chronic fatigue syndrome from vagus nerve infection: a psychoneuroimmunological hypothesis. Med Hypotheses. Sep;81(3):414-23. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2013.05.034. Epub 2013 Jun 19. PMID: 23790471.

VanElzakker MB, Brumfield SA and Lara Mejia PS (2019) Neuroinflammation and Cytokines in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Critical Review of Research Methods. Front. Neurol. 9:1033. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2018.01033

Category:

Gut Health, Lyme, Pain Management, Treatment

Can Lyme Disease Cause Leukemia?

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-lyme-disease-cause-leukemia#having-lyme-disease-and-leukemia

Can Lyme disease cause leukemia?

Medically reviewed by Faith Selchick, DNP, AOCNP, Nursing, Oncology
Written by Mathieu Rees
September 8, 2021

Leukemias are cancers that involve certain cells of the body’s blood, bone marrow, or immune system. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that people can catch from tick bites. Although these conditions are very different, certain connections may exist between them.

As a 2021 reviewTrusted Source explains, leukemias are cancers that develop from certain cells called leukocytes. When someone has leukemia, some of their leukocytes grow and divide in an uncontrolled fashion. Doctors can classify such cancers according to whether they affect myeloid or lymphoid cells. These cells are kinds of leukocytes.

As the review notes, there are many possible genetic and environmental causes of leukemia.

Lyme disease is the resultTrusted Source of Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. These bacteria can make their way into a person’s body via tick bites. Ticks are small arachnids that feed on blood, and that can carry B. burgdorferi bacteria.

This article will look into the possibility that Lyme disease is a risk factor of leukemia. It will also look into what it is like to have both conditions at the same time, and at whether Lyme disease could mask or be mistaken for leukemia.  (See link for article)

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Summary:

  • some evidence showsTrusted Source that Lyme disease may increase a person’s risk for another type of blood cancer called lymphoma. This may be because of the inflammation that Lyme disease causes in the body.
  • evidenceTrusted Source that Lyme disease is a risk factor of lymphomas. But this risk is small, and the link is not clear.
  • American Cancer Society (ACS)Trusted Source notes that some people with a B. burgdorferi infection, which causes Lyme disease, developed skin lymphomas in Europe. But the ACS emphasizes that most individuals with Lyme disease will not develop skin lymphomas.
  • ScientistsTrusted Source believe that bacterial infections such as Lyme disease could increase a person’s cancer risk by causing inflammation in the body. Up to 25%Trusted Source of cancer causes may include infections and inflammation.
  • The article erroneously states that those with the EM rash are more likely to have a more “developed” form of Lyme.  In fact, I would state it’s probably just the opposite.
  • The article further erroneously states 10-14 days of doxycycline is the treatment, which case after case and study after study has proven this to be insufficient.
  • The article also erroneously states 70-80% get the EM rash when in fact the percentages are highly variable and many never get a rash at all.
  • Some with leukemia develop a skin rash that is different than the EM rash.  See top link for pictures of both.

Category:

Inflammation, Lyme, Uncategorized