This has emerged from new research by the RIVM and the academic hospitals Radboudumc and Amsterdam UMC. The study ran from 2015 to 2020 and is the largest study ever into persistent complaints after treatment for Lyme disease.
The researchers followed 1,135 Lyme patients for a year. 27 percent of these people remained fatigued for a long time and had a lot of pain after treatment with antibiotics. Their concentration was also much less. As a result, they could do less. Such complaints also occur in people without Lyme, but less often and less serious.
‘Small but substantial portion’
The RIVM compared the Lyme patients with a group of 6,500 people who did not have Lyme, and slightly more than 20 percent had such complaints. An important difference, according to researcher Kees van den Wijngaard. The long-term complaints in Lyme patients seem to be the result of Lyme disease, “however, in a small but substantial proportion of patients,” according to the RIVM.
The results of the study appear today in the medical science journal The Lancet Regional Health.
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“There are many Lyme patients who would have suffered from these complaints even without Lyme. But the difference is the people whose complaints seem to be caused by Lyme and who otherwise probably would not have suffered from them. Per year. it probably concerns more than 1000 to 1500 people. “
Difficulty climbing stairs
Due to the complaints, ex-Lyme patients can have problems in daily life. For example, they may have difficulty climbing stairs or taking a long walk. A family outing or visiting friends or relatives can also be tricky. The research was carried out before the corona virus emerged in the Netherlands, Van den Wijngaard emphasizes.
Quick action after complaints of a tick bite is also important. Musician Pete Philly is someone who suffered from Lyme for a long time because it was not noticed until late. He was diagnosed in 2013, but long before that he had complaints:
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The researchers are now working on follow-up research with the same test subjects. They want to find out whether the course of a Lyme infection can be predicted. “We look at people’s immune systems, how it reacts to pathogens. We look at whether people have a genetic predisposition, we measure which bacteria we can find in their bodies and we look at people’s behavior.”
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Lyme disease
A tick bite can cause Lyme disease. Complaints can often be prevented after treatment with antibiotics. Sometimes people hold constant pain, concentration problems and fatigue, among other things.
If people find one or more ticks, they should remove them immediately and monitor the site of the bite for three months. If a ring or spot-shaped rash develops or a fever occurs, the RIVM advises you to see a doctor.
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