[Structure and dynamics of electrocardiographic changes in patients with Lyme carditis (pilot study)]

A maximum of 10% of the patients suffering from Lyme borreliosis suffer from cardiac damage. This affection is usually the source of diagnostic doubts, mainly because of the significant variability of clinical manifestations, the objectivization of which is difficult. Great variability is pathognomic also for electrocardiograms. For a three-month period 7 patients aged 43 years (29-53) were followed up under conditions of ambulatory ECG monitoring, i.e. using Holter s dynamic electrocardiography (HM) and ECG transmission by telephone (TTM). The focus of interest and objective of this pilot study was evaluation of the structure and dynamics of ECG changes, in particular from the aspect of types and frequencies of ectopic activity of the atria and ventricles and the ECG correlate of symptomatic events. Findings pertaining to the incidence of symptomatic (total 67) as well as asymptomatic events (total 25) are valuable. Systematic ECG checks of patients with Lyme carditis revealed a relatively large number of cases of impaired rhythm with a completely asymptomatic course.