Science / Medicine : Lyme Disease Symptoms Linger

Some victims of Lyme disease may suffer memory loss, mood changes, tingling sensations, shooting pains and other signs of nerve damage that strike years after the initial tick bite, scientists have found.

Antibiotic therapy can often relieve these lingering symptoms, although recovery is seldom complete.

“This is similar to syphilis,” said Dr. Allen C. Steere. “Although the neurological symptoms and consequences are different, in both diseases there are long periods of latent infection in the brain followed by a variety of neurological disorders.” The doctors cautioned that only a few Lyme patients suffer this lingering nerve disorder, and most can be cured with antibiotics given early during their infections.

Steere, who first recognized the disease in Old Lyme, Conn., about 15 years ago, was senior author of the latest report, written with two colleagues at New England Medical Center in Boston. It was published in last week’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by tiny ticks that are usually carried by deer and mice. It is common throughout the Northeast, Midwest and California.

Usually, the first sign of Lyme disease is a red circular rash around the tick bite. It is often accompanied by fever, fatigue, aches and other flu-like miseries. In more advanced stages, the disease can cause arthritis and neurological problems.