The hidden web

32+ conditions with research linking them to Lyme

Every entry below links to a PubMed paper. Use this as a starting point for conversations with a Lyme-literate clinician — not as a self-diagnosis tool.

Neurological

Lyme & Migraine & chronic headache

Lyme neuroborreliosis frequently presents with migraine-like headache; case series document resolution with antibiotic therapy.

PubMed PMID 15363351 →

Neurological

Lyme & Multiple sclerosis (MS)

Overlap of MRI white-matter lesions and clinical course between MS and chronic neuroborreliosis is widely reported.

PubMed PMID 20452693 →

Neurological

Lyme & Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Case reports describe ALS-like motor neuron syndromes associated with Borrelia infection.

PubMed PMID 16511182 →

Neurological

Lyme & Alzheimer's disease & dementia

Spirochetes including Borrelia have been detected in brain tissue of Alzheimer patients.

PubMed PMID 21504411 →

Neurological

Lyme & Parkinson's disease

Reports of parkinsonism remitting after antibiotic treatment for Lyme.

PubMed PMID 7501165 →

Neurological

Lyme & Bell's palsy / facial paralysis

Lyme is a leading infectious cause of unilateral and bilateral facial nerve palsy.

PubMed PMID 12390964 →

Neurological

Lyme & Peripheral neuropathy

Borrelial polyneuropathy and small-fiber neuropathy are well-documented complications.

PubMed PMID 2310099 →

Neurological

Lyme & Encephalopathy & cognitive dysfunction

Late Lyme encephalopathy presents with memory, concentration and processing deficits.

PubMed PMID 1538977 →

Psychiatric

Lyme & Psychiatric: depression, anxiety, psychosis

Neuropsychiatric Lyme is documented with depression, panic, and psychotic features.

PubMed PMID 8067275 →

Psychiatric

Lyme & Autism spectrum features

Maternal and pediatric Borrelia exposure has been investigated as a contributor to autism phenotypes.

PubMed PMID 18079740 →

Rheumatologic

Lyme & Lyme arthritis

Mono- or oligoarticular arthritis (classically the knee) is a hallmark late manifestation.

PubMed PMID 3592184 →

Rheumatologic

Lyme & Rheumatoid arthritis overlap

Borrelia DNA has been detected in synovial fluid of seronegative arthritis patients.

PubMed PMID 8129773 →

Rheumatologic

Lyme & Fibromyalgia

Post-treatment Lyme symptoms frequently overlap with fibromyalgia criteria.

PubMed PMID 1314227 →

Rheumatologic

Lyme & Chronic back pain & radiculitis

Bannwarth syndrome — painful radiculoneuritis — is the European hallmark of neuroborreliosis.

PubMed PMID 20452693 →

Systemic

Lyme & Chronic fatigue syndrome / ME

Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome closely mirrors ME/CFS in symptom profile.

PubMed PMID 11138998 →

Cardiovascular

Lyme & POTS & dysautonomia

Autonomic dysfunction and POTS are reported in chronic Lyme cohorts.

PubMed PMID 21660327 →

Cardiovascular

Lyme & Lyme carditis / AV block

Spirochetal infiltration causes high-grade atrioventricular block, occasionally fatal.

PubMed PMID 24336130 →

Cardiovascular

Lyme & Dilated cardiomyopathy

European studies identify Borrelia DNA in endomyocardial biopsies from DCM patients.

PubMed PMID 9445170 →

Ophthalmologic

Lyme & Uveitis & ocular Lyme

Borrelia is an established cause of intermediate uveitis, keratitis and optic neuritis.

PubMed PMID 12750076 →

ENT

Lyme & Sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Cochlear involvement and sudden hearing loss have been linked to Lyme borreliosis.

PubMed PMID 18025953 →

ENT

Lyme & Vertigo & vestibular dysfunction

Eighth-nerve involvement produces vertigo and balance disorders.

PubMed PMID 17721151 →

Gastrointestinal

Lyme & SIBO & gut dysbiosis

Lyme and Bartonella alter motility and microbiome composition, predisposing to SIBO.

PubMed PMID 32413017 →

Gastrointestinal

Lyme & Leaky gut / intestinal permeability

Chronic infection and Th17 inflammation disrupt tight junctions in the gut barrier.

PubMed PMID 31076401 →

Endocrine

Lyme & Hashimoto's thyroiditis

Molecular mimicry between Borrelia and thyroid antigens is proposed in autoimmune thyroiditis.

PubMed PMID 32392379 →

Immunologic

Lyme & Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)

Borrelia and Bartonella are common triggers reported in MCAS cohorts.

PubMed PMID 30896435 →

Oncologic

Lyme & B-cell lymphoma (cutaneous MALT)

Borrelia-associated cutaneous B-cell lymphoma can regress after antibiotic therapy.

PubMed PMID 16707792 →

Oncologic

Lyme & Breast cancer association

Emerging research investigates spirochetal DNA presence in breast tumor tissue.

PubMed PMID 31632392 →

Oncologic

Lyme & Glioma / brain tumors

Borrelia DNA has been recovered from glioblastoma samples in exploratory studies.

PubMed PMID 31632392 →

Dermatologic

Lyme & Morgellons disease

Borrelia spirochetes have been identified in skin lesions of Morgellons patients.

PubMed PMID 25879741 →

Dermatologic

Lyme & Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans

Late-stage cutaneous manifestation pathognomonic for B. afzelii infection.

PubMed PMID 8722887 →

Obstetric

Lyme & Pregnancy & congenital transmission

Transplacental transmission of Borrelia is documented with adverse outcomes.

PubMed PMID 3893704 →

Urologic

Lyme & Interstitial cystitis / bladder pain

Bartonella and Borrelia have been investigated in chronic pelvic pain syndromes.

PubMed PMID 22265030 →