Lyme Disease: Neurological Perspective

Abstract

Lyme disease is a vector-borne bacterial disease caused by Borrelia spirochetes carried by Ixodes ticks. It is endemic in North America and Western Europe. Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is observed in 10-15% of patients. Facial paralysis, radiculitis, and meningitis are the most common presentations of LNB. Encephalitis, myelitis, and vasculitis are observed less frequently. The diagnosis is made by serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examinations in people with a history of contact with ticks and a compatible neurological clinical picture. Methods such as electrophysiological tests and magnetic resonance imaging are mostly used for differential diagnosis. While appropriate intravenous or oral antibiotic therapy is recommended for cranial neuropathy, meningitis, and peripheral nerve involvement, intravenous antibiotic therapy is recommended in cases of parenchymal central nervous system involvement, severe infection and unresponsiveness to oral therapy. LNB is included in the differential diagnosis of many neurological diseases with its wide range of symptoms. The clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of LNB will be discussed in this chapter. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.