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Associations of Atrioventricular Blocks and Other Arrhythmias in Patients with Lyme Carditis: A Systematic Review and

Nismat Javed1, Eduard Sklyar1,2, Jonathan N Bella1,2

  • 1BronxCare Health System, Bronx, NY 10457, USA.

Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease
|May 24, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Men with Lyme carditis often experience atrioventricular blocks and arrhythmias. These cardiac issues are typically benign and reversible, especially in men, suggesting a favorable prognosis for Lyme carditis patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Electrophysiology

Background:

  • Lyme disease frequently causes cardiac complications, including electrophysiological abnormalities.
  • Atrioventricular (AV) blocks and other arrhythmias are significant concerns in Lyme carditis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between AV blocks and other arrhythmias in patients diagnosed with Lyme carditis.
  • To assess cardiovascular outcomes in relation to different types of arrhythmias in Lyme carditis.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review and meta-analysis of literature published between 1990 and 2023.
  • Searched PubMed and Web of Science for Lyme carditis cases with concomitant arrhythmias using relevant MESH terms.
  • Analyzed 110 cases, stratifying patients by AV blocks and other arrhythmias for cardiovascular outcome assessment.

Main Results:

  • The majority of analyzed patients (77.3%) were male, with a mean age of 39.65 years.
  • Men were more likely to develop first-degree AV blocks (OR = 1.36) and variable arrhythmias (OR = 1.31).
  • AV blocks were often reversible (OR = 1.51), and ventricular/supraventricular arrhythmias showed instability and variability.

Conclusions:

  • Men with Lyme carditis frequently present with various AV blocks.
  • These AV blocks are generally benign, predictable, and have a stable clinical course.
  • Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm these findings and associations.

Keywords:
Lyme carditisatrioventricular blocksmanagementoutcomes

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