5 Neurological Complications Of Lyme Disease To Be Aware Of

Untreated Lyme disease may result in symptoms including radiculitis, cranial neuropathy, intracranial hypertension, encephalmoyelitis, and encephalopathy.

Lyme disease is considered to be an infection which is transmitted to humans after being bitten by an infected tick. The early signs of Lyme disease are inclusive of a characteristic rash which appears around the part of the body where the bite occurred, fever, chills, headaches, muscle and joint pains, and swollen lymph nodes. Because these symptoms resemble those of more common diseases such as flu, people with Lyme disease often use the wrong treatments or simply choose to ignore the symptoms. You should know that Lyme disease can become serious if not treated. In the second stage of Lyme disease, neurological complications like numbness, severe headaches, and visual disturbances may occur. Some possible neurological complications of Lyme disease include:

Radiculitis

Painful radiculitis is one of the first symptoms experienced by those who contract Lyme disease. A radiating pain along the dermatome of a nerve often characterizes radiculitis. This condition generally occurs within the first few weeks to months of the infection. Patients usually experience sensory, motor and mixed symptoms and conditions like weakness and sudden reflex and sensory changes. These symptoms are very similar to and are often mistaken for nerve-impingement symptoms.

Cranial neuropathies

As well as the patient's cranial nerve, cranial neuropathies can affect the nerves involved in sensory processing, in other words sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. In the case of Lyme disease, multiple cranial nerves may be affected simultaneously. Approximately 50-70% of patients suffering from neurological symptoms have this complication.

High blood pressure in the head

Intracranial hypertension is a rare neurological disorder connected with Lyme disease. Children experience it more often than an adult. Headaches and even papilledema are symptoms of intracranial hypertension. Papilledema is the swelling of a patient's optic disc, and this condition may develop within the span of a few hours to weeks. Sometimes, there may also be abnormalities in the Cerebrospinal Fluid.

Encephalomyelitis

Sometimes resembling ischemic patterns, encephalomyelitis usually includes brainstem abnormalities. There is some evidence from medical sources that implies parenchymal involvement Cerebellar syndromes, hemiparesis, motion disorders and spastic paraparesis is usually presented in this complication. North America has this complication less common than in European nations.

Swelling in the brain

One of the more common complications in the late stages of Lyme disease is encephalopathy. Patients who suffer from this complication experience subtle to severe changes in their cognitive functions and polyradiculoneuropathy. Encephalopathy as well as other late stage infections may be accompanied by severe fatigue, sleeping problems, extreme irritability, mood swings, photophobia, difficulty finding words, and problems in writing or speaking. There have been reports of sensory issues as well. The severity of these symptoms may differ and are considered to be somewhat inconsistent.

Early identification and administration of treatment is the best way to prevent the symptoms of Lyme disease from developing into worse neurological complications.

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