New Study: Persistent Symptoms After Early Diagnosis & Treatment for Lyme Disease

Results of a new longitudinal, prospective study by Dr. John Aucott, et al. shows that participants with prior Lyme disease(LD) that was diagnosed and treated early were more likely to meet Post Treatment Lyme Disease (PTLD) criteria compared to those without exposure to early LD.

The study cohorts consisted of 234 participants with and 49 participants without prior exposure to early LD. PTLD-defining symptom and functional impact criteria were evaluated both cohorts with all study participants completing standardized surveys to evaluate fatigue, pain, sleep, depression, and quality of life. The distributions of clinical outcomes and symptoms were then examined.

Participants with exposure and “ideal” diagnosis and treatment for early LD were 2-3 more likely to report moderate or severe fatigue and muscle pain on standardized surveys. The study results also showed females and participants with higher exposure to traumatic life events were at increased risk of meeting PTLD criteria. This study is the first to show significant differences using standardized criteria for PTLD in a large US sample.

Access to the full test article is available here

Read other LDA articles regarding persistent Lyme disease symptoms here