Related Experiment Videos
[Lyme carditis]
1Medizinische Klinik, Kantonsspital Winterthur.
Insights
Lyme carditis can cause heart rhythm problems like atrial fibrillation and atrioventricular block. Early doxycycline treatment resolved these arrhythmias in a 51-year-old man.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Medical Case Reports
Background:
- Lyme carditis, a manifestation of Lyme disease, primarily affects the heart.
- Atrioventricular block is the most common cardiac symptom, with other arrhythmias being less frequent.
- Previous studies highlight varied cardiac presentations including ECG alterations, cardiomegaly, and pericarditis.
Observation:
- A 51-year-old male presented with symptoms indicative of Lyme carditis.
- The patient exhibited atrial fibrillation and second-degree atrioventricular block.
- A Gallium-67 scan yielded negative results for infection localization.
Findings:
- The patient's arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation and atrioventricular block, resolved following doxycycline therapy.
- This case underscores the potential for diverse arrhythmias in Lyme carditis.
- Negative Gallium-67 scan did not preclude the diagnosis or treatment response.
Implications:
- This case highlights the importance of considering Lyme carditis in patients with unexplained arrhythmias.
- Effective treatment with doxycycline can resolve cardiac manifestations of Lyme disease.
- Further research into the spectrum of cardiac involvement in Lyme disease is warranted.
Abstract:
In 1980 a large series of patients with Lyme carditis was first described. The most frequent symptom was atrioventricular block, more unusual were other arrhythmias, nonspecific ECG alterations, cardiomegaly and pericarditis. We report the case of a 51-year-old man with Lyme carditis which presented as atrial fibrillation and atrioventricular block 2 degrees. Gallium-67 scan was negative. The arrhythmias ceased during therapy with doxycycline. The clinical findings, diagnosis and therapy of Lyme carditis are discussed.