Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome symptomatology and the impact on life functioning: is there something here?

Abstract

The Author(s) 2012. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Purpose A subset of patients treated for Lyme disease report persistent or recurrent symptoms of unknown etiology named post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). This study aims to describe a cohort of partici-pants with early, untreated Lyme disease, and characterize post-treatment symptomatology and functional impact of PTLDS over time. Methods Sixty-three participants with erythema migrans and systemic symptoms were enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Participants underwent physical exams and clinical assessments, and completed the SF-36 (daily life functioning) and the Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-II) (depression), at each of five visits over a period of 6 months. Results Signs of Lyme disease disappeared post-treatment; however, new-onset patient-reported symptoms increased or plateaued over time. At 6 months, 36 % of patients reported new-onset fatigue, 20 % widespread pain, and 45 % neurocognitive difficulties. However, less than 10 % reported greater than ‘‘minimal’ ’ depression across the entire period. Those with PTLDS (36%) did not differ significantly from those without with respect to demo-graphics, pre-treatment SF-36, and BDI-II scores. Statisti-cally significant differences were found over time on th