Dysautonomia following Lyme disease: a key component of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome?
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing existing concepts and mechanisms without systematic review methodology or new human data.
PubMed 38390594 · doi:10.3389/fneur.2024.1344862
What was done
This narrative review synthesized literature exploring autonomic nervous system dysfunction (dysautonomia) following Borrelia burgdorferi infection. The authors examined clinical parallels between Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC/long COVID), and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), evaluated hypothetical pathogenic mechanisms, and reviewed diagnostic and treatment approaches.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data, sample sizes, or statistical estimates. It reports that dysautonomia is clinically recognized in PTLDS management but remains poorly established in formal medical literature, sharing symptomatic and mechanistic overlaps with other post-infectious syndromes.
Why it matters
It highlights dysautonomia as a potentially treatable contributor to persistent, debilitating symptoms after Lyme disease and encourages applying diagnostic paradigms from long COVID and ME/CFS to PTLDS.
Limits
The paper is a narrative overview and hypothesis proposal rather than a systematic review or primary clinical study. It offers no new patient data, controlled outcome measurements, or quantitative validation of diagnostic or therapeutic strategies.
Cited by
- context Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and dysautonomia occur in 40% to 50% of chronic Lyme and tick-borne disease patients.