EIn the following, the most important diseases or complications that can be caused by Lyme disease as well:
Respiratory system (J00-J99)
- Pharyngitis (inflammation of the throat).
Eyes and eye appendages (H00-H59).
- Iritis (inflammation of the iris).
- Conjunctivitis (conjunctivitis)
- Temporary blindness in children due to pressure on the optic nerve (optic nerve).
Cardiovascular system (I00-I99).
- Chronic cardiomyopathy – disease of the heart muscle.
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)
- Lyme carditis (collective term for the inflammatory diseases of the heart) (approximately 1% in Europe):
- Chronic cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease).
- Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle)
- Pericarditis (inflammation of the pericardium)
- Pancreatitis – inflammation of the entire heart.
- Cardiac arrhythmias such as an atrioventricular block (AV block).
- Syncope – brief loss of consciousness.
Prevalence (disease incidence) in Europe 0.3-4%; in the U.S., 1.5-10% of all adult, untreated patients with Lyme disease
Skin and subcutaneous (L00-L99).
- Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans Herxheimer (ACA; possible onset after tick bite: six months to several years) – inflammatory skin disease of the ends of the body (preferably on the extensor side of the extremities) with skin atrophy (thinning of the skin) and livid (bluish) discoloration, as well as striated fibrosis of the skin.
- Lymphadenosis cutis benigna Bäfverstedt – small, reddish to bluish skin swellings (reactive hyperplasia of lymphoid cells), which can occur especially on the earlobe after a Borrelia infection.
Liver, gallbladder and bile ducts – Pancreas (pancreas) (K70-77; K80-K87).
- Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99).
- Arthropathy (pathological joint changes).
- Lyme arthritis (as mono- or oligoarthritis/occurrence of arthritis (joint inflammation) in fewer than 5 joints) – usually affecting large joints such as the knee joint (85% of cases); manifestation in the late phase of disease (several weeks to months/possibly up to two years after pathogen transmission)
Psyche – Nervous System (F00-F99; G00-G99).
- Ataxia (gait disorders)
- Chronic encephalomyelitis – inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and spinal cord (myelitis) with paresis (paralysis).
- Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
- Encephalopathy – brain changes that can lead to memory problems, sleep disturbances and mood disorders, among others.
- Facial paresis – paralysis of the facial nerve with the corner of the mouth hanging down on one side.
- Meningitis (meningitis) – isolated meningitis (without radicular symptoms) is observed in Europe mainly in children.
- Myelitis – inflammation of the spinal cord
- Neuritis (inflammation of the nerves)
- Neuropathy (nerve damage)
- Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) – after treatment, symptoms often occur via nonspecific symptoms, such as fatigue, impaired concentration and memory, cephalgia (headache), insomnia (sleep disturbances), and myalgia.
- Pain due to polyneuropathy (disease of the nerves of the peripheral nervous system; depending on the cause, motor, sensory or autonomic nerves may be affected; sensitivity disorders).
