New Discovery May Explain Why Some Suffer Lyme Disease Symptoms for Years

You're not alone if you are worried about tick bites and Lyme disease. Research indicates over 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease are reported in the United States every year. Some people get tick bites that lead to muscle pain, headaches, and other Lyme disease symptoms that can last for years. Meanwhile, others experience Lyme disease symptoms for only a few weeks.

A recent study published by the CDC revealed that an immune system marker in the blood (interferon-alpha) was higher in people who had been treated for Lyme disease and experienced long-term symptoms. In the study, patients with a high level of interferon-alpha were prone to chronic inflammation.

According to Yahoo News, "interferon-alpha" is a protein that is a key signal to the body's immune cells to fight bacteria and viruses. If interferon-alpha levels are too high, the immune system essentially overreacts, causing long-term symptoms. In the case of Lyme Disease, those symptoms are often pain, swelling, and fatigue.

Now that researchers have identified this protein, they can work to figure out why some people have elevated levels. If they can pinpoint the cause, it could lead to new prevention or treatment methods.

Previous Chronic Lyme Discoveries

In 2019 a study focused on patients who were suffering from chronic Lyme arthritis symptoms. The researchers extracted synovial fluid from the patients' inflamed joints and found that Lyme bacteria and antibodies were persistent in the fluid. This immune response became the focus of future studies to develop chronic Lyme Disease treatments.

Research Suggests Lyme Disease May Trigger Parkinson's Disease

To date, at least one person experienced symptoms of Parkinson's disease following their treatment for Lyme disease. These symptoms worsened over time until the individual's death. Prior to the Lyme disease diagnosis, the aforementioned individual experienced no symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Researchers remain unsure about whether the Parkinson's disease symptoms were related to their Lyme disease diagnosis. Notably, Parkinson's is closely related to autoimmune responses as well.

Reducing tick bites is still the best method, hands-down, for reducing risks for Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases.

You cannot stop ticks from carrying Lyme disease. Fortunately, you can guard against tick bites. By taking precautions, you can limit your risk of a tick bite that leads to Lyme disease or other health problems.

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