An Atypical Case of Lyme Disease Presenting With Lyme Carditis

Lyme carditis is a rare but serious manifestation of Lyme disease presenting in the early disseminated stage of the disease often after a diagnosis has already been discovered. The classic case of Lyme disease presents a patient who had been participating in outdoor activities in a Lyme-endemic region and was found to have a tick bite. These patients often present in the early localized stage, within the first 1-2 weeks with the well-recognized erythema-migrans rash or with generalized flu-like symptoms. Here we describe a case of a 70-year-old male who presented to the hospital without any typical Lyme disease prodrome but instead with generalized symptoms of progressive orthopnea and dyspnea on exertion. His original diagnoses were not of infectious origin however after incidentally being found to have a second degree, Mobitz type 1 atrioventricular (AV) block; Lyme tests were ordered, and a diagnosis was confirmed. This incidence shows the importance of having a Lyme disease diagnosis when regionally appropriate for patients who may present with no other signs or symptoms other than an AV block. As in this case, after a diagnosis has been made the management becomes the treatment of the infection rather than the treatment of the symptoms themselves.