[Lyme disease from the neurologist's viewpoint]

The gamut of neurological symptoms observed in Lyme disease is outlined on the basis of 45 case histories. The Borrelia infection of the nervous system manifests itself primarily at the spinal roots and the cranial nerves. Signs of spinal cord and brain involvement were found in well over a third of the patients studied. These may be taken as the result of the infection spreading to parenchymatous structures or as vessel reactions and infections. Long-lasting exhaustion and residual focal deficits are possible late sequelae. Cases of chronic meningoencephalitis, demyelinisation processes and damage to the cerebrovascular system are discussed.