[Icelandic boy with Lyme-disease. A case report and discussion.]

Lyme-disease is an infection involving many organ systems and is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme-disease is the most prevalent vector-born disease in the United States and also occurs in parts of Europe and Asia. However, to the best of our knowledge, Lyme-disease has not been described in Iceland before. In this article we report a 14-year-old, Icelandic boy with arthritis due to Lyme-disease. Lyme-disease was described as a separate entity in 1976. The identification of a novel spirochete B. burgdorferi as the responsible organism was made in 1982. The disease is a multisystem illness, but erythema migrans is the clinical hallmark of Lyme-disease. It can also affect the skin, eyes, musculoskeletal tissue, nervous system and heart. Diagnosis should rest on a careful history and objective clinical findings, supported by appropriately chosen laboratory tests. All stages of Lyme-disease respond to appropriate antibiotic therapy. It is important that Icelandic physicians be aware of Lyme-disease.