Post by LymeEnigma on Jun 1, 2008 18:09:49 GMT -8
Evaluation of Study Patients with Lyme Disease, 10–20-Year Follow-up
Robert A. Kalish,1 Richard F. Kaplan,2,a Elise Taylor,1
Lisa Jones-Woodward,2 Kathryn Workman,2,a
and Allen C. Steere1
Abstract: To determine the long-term impact of Lyme disease, we evaluated 84 randomly selected,
original study patients from the Lyme, Connecticut, region who had erythema migrans, facial
palsy, or Lyme arthritis 10–20 years ago and 30 uninfected control subjects. The patients in
the 3 study groups and the control group did not differ significantly in current symptoms or
neuropsychological test results. However, patients with facial palsy, who frequently had more
widespread nervous system involvement, more often had residual facial or peripheral nerve
deficits. Moreover, patients with facial palsy who did not receive antibiotics for acute neuroborreliosis
more often now had joint pain and sleep difficulty and lower scores on the body
pain index and standardized physical component sections of the Short-Form 36 Health Assessment
Questionnaire than did antibiotic-treated patients with facial palsy. Thus, the overall
current health status of each patient group was good, but sequelae were apparent primarily
among patients with facial palsy who did not receive antibiotics for acute neuroborreliosis.
Full Article: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/318082
Robert A. Kalish,1 Richard F. Kaplan,2,a Elise Taylor,1
Lisa Jones-Woodward,2 Kathryn Workman,2,a
and Allen C. Steere1
Abstract: To determine the long-term impact of Lyme disease, we evaluated 84 randomly selected,
original study patients from the Lyme, Connecticut, region who had erythema migrans, facial
palsy, or Lyme arthritis 10–20 years ago and 30 uninfected control subjects. The patients in
the 3 study groups and the control group did not differ significantly in current symptoms or
neuropsychological test results. However, patients with facial palsy, who frequently had more
widespread nervous system involvement, more often had residual facial or peripheral nerve
deficits. Moreover, patients with facial palsy who did not receive antibiotics for acute neuroborreliosis
more often now had joint pain and sleep difficulty and lower scores on the body
pain index and standardized physical component sections of the Short-Form 36 Health Assessment
Questionnaire than did antibiotic-treated patients with facial palsy. Thus, the overall
current health status of each patient group was good, but sequelae were apparent primarily
among patients with facial palsy who did not receive antibiotics for acute neuroborreliosis.
Full Article: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/318082