Four deaths have been reported in medical journals from a heart condition associated with Lyme disease called Lyme carditis. The condition is being investigated in the death of a 17-year-old Poughkeepsie High School honor student who died Aug. 5; evidence of Lyme disease was found in his blood, organs and heart.
The cases, drawn from references provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, include:
• A 37-year old man who died in 2008 the day after visiting a doctor. The man reported a month-long series of fevers, rash and other symptoms. According to a report published in the journal Cardiovascular Pathology, he had an irregular heartbeat and tested positive for Lyme disease the day before he died. An autopsy found that he also suffered from heart inflammation.
• A patient who died from cardiac arrest caused by Lyme myocarditis or heart inflammation. The patient, described in a 1993 report in the Journal of Neurology, was among patients with Lyme myositis, or muscle inflammation, between the ages of 37 and 70. They came down with symptoms, including muscle pain, tenderness, swelling and weakness.
• A 31 year-old male farm worker in Great Britain — the only geographical reference in the four articles — who tested positive for Lyme disease on his first screening. An autopsy found the man suffered from an enlarged heart and an irregular heart beat; he had no telltale Lyme disease rash before becoming ill, according to a 1990 article in the Postgraduate Medical Journal.
The article recommended that doctors “be especially vigilant with young patients from rural areas presenting with heart block,” a disturbance of the heart’s rhythm.
• A 66-year old man who died of “cardiac involvement of Lyme disease.” According to a 1985 report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, he died 18 hours after being taken to the hospital with chills, muscle pain and other symptoms. Lyme spirochetes were found in the victim’s heart tissue and an autopsy found that he had an inflamed heart.
Carditis occurs in 4 to 10 percent of cases of Lyme disease and usually begins three to six weeks after the initial illness, according a 2012 report published in the journal Clinical Medicine and Diagnostics.
So many people are “opposed” to antibiotic use for Lyme disease. Of course you should consult with your LLMD (Lyme literate medical doctor) but I think it is foolish to think that Lyme will go away on its own, or go away without a strong treatment protocol. I had the cardiac issues described above, but after a year of intensive treatment, my heart is a high functioning machine in beast mode as I run races, fight in martial arts classes, surf, kayak and more!
It is so important to get treatment for Lyme disease! Ask your very qualified, experienced LLMD how to treat it effectively, and if I were you, ( and I was you, with Lyme disease) I wouldn’t rule out using antibiotics. You need to mount a strong attack. If you are careful about your probiotics, your body will be fine.
