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Lyme disease and the peripheral nervous system
Author(s) -
Halperin John J.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.10337
Subject(s) - borrelia burgdorferi , lyme disease , pathognomonic , medicine , peripheral nervous system , mononeuropathy , disease , peripheral neuropathy , pathology , immunology , central nervous system , antibody , endocrinology , diabetes mellitus
Lyme disease, the multisystem infectious disease caused by the tick‐borne spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi , causes a broad variety of peripheral nerve disorders, including single or multiple cranial neuropathies, painful radiculopathies, and diffuse polyneuropathies. Virtually all appear to be varying manifestations of a mononeuropathy multiplex. Diagnosis requires that the patient should have had possible exposure to the only known vectors, Ixodes ticks, and also have either other pathognomonic clinical manifestations or laboratory evidence of exposure. Treatment with antimicrobial regimens is highly effective. The mechanism underlying these neuropathies remains unclear, although interactions between anti‐ Borrelia antibodies and several peripheral nerve constituent molecules raise intriguing possibilities. Muscle Nerve 28: 133–143, 2003