Can Lyme be mistaken for MS?
Lyme disease can cause delayed neurologic symptoms similar to those seen in multiple sclerosis (MS) such as weakness, blurred vision caused by optic neuritis, dysesthesias (sensations of itching, burning, stabbing pain, or “pins and needles”), confusion and cognitive dysfunction, and fatigue.
How often is Lyme disease misdiagnosed as MS?
14% of chronic Lyme patients report being initially misdiagnosed with MS and roughly 2% are misdiagnosed with other neurologic diseases, like ALS, Parkinson’s and Multiple systems atrophy. Now you might think no harm/no foul—so long as they eventually correctly diagnose and treat the Lyme disease.
How do you test for neurological Lyme disease?
Key Points for Healthcare Providers Two-step serologic testing for Lyme disease is the recommended diagnostic test for neurologic Lyme disease. Cerebral spinal fluid analysis is not necessary to diagnose Lyme meningitis, but can help exclude other causes of illness, such as bacterial meningitis.
Can Lyme trigger MS?
Sometimes, people who think they may have Lyme disease find out they have MS (an immune-mediated central nervous system disorder). Lyme disease as an infection can act to trigger MS attacks.
What does Lyme look like on MRI?
MRI scan in patients with neurological Lyme disease may demonstrate increased intensity in white matter at multiple foci on T2-weighted images, suggesting demyelination or inflammatory changes. After antibiotic therapy, spontaneous resolution of MRI white matter hyper-intensities has been observed in Lyme disease.
What is the difference between MS and Lyme disease?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Lyme disease are diseases that stem from very different causes. MS is a life-long autoimmune condition that disrupts the communication between your brain and your body. Lyme disease can happen if you’re bitten by a deer tick infected with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi.
What does Lyme disease do to the brain?
Lyme disease effects on the brain Research has shown that Lyme spirochetes can invade the brain and wreak all kinds of havoc. They damage nerve cells, trigger inflammation, release neurotoxins, and disrupt the balance of brain chemicals.
What do you rule out before MS diagnosis?
To accurately diagnose MS, many other possible causes must be considered and excluded….Diseases Less Likely to Be Misdiagnosed as MS
- Lyme Disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted through a tick bite.
- Neuropathy.
- Lupus.
- Stroke.
- Sjogren’s Syndrome.
- Myasthenia Gravis.
Can a brain scan show MS?
Magnetic resonance imaging has become the single most useful test for the diagnosis of MS; MRI is sensitive to brain changes which are seen in MS. Classically, the MRI shows lesions in the white matter deep in the brain near the fluid spaces of the brain (the ventricles).
What part of the brain is affected by Lyme disease?
Lyme disease appears to have two primary patterns of brain involvement on FDG PET scans, specific temporal lobe hypometabolism or a diffuse cortical hypometabolism. The involvement of the temporal lobes in both patterns is likely associated with the memory disturbances described in many of these patients.
Can Lyme disease cause lesions on the brain?
Lyme disease can affect the lining of the brain, a disorder known as meningitis. Other than causing fever and bad headaches, this form of meningitis is remarkably benign; nobody has ever died of it, and it has rarely — if ever — caused significant damage to any patient’s brain.
