Doctors have long been perplexed why some people recover from Lyme disease, while others suffer from months, years, or even decades of chronic symptoms. A new study provides insight into an immune system signal in the blood of those with persistent Lyme disease symptoms.
The latest research on Lyme disease
Researchers discovered an immune system marker in the blood called interferon-alpha among persons treated for Lyme disease. But had persisting symptoms in a new study published on May 9 in the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Interferon-alpha is one of a few signalling proteins produced in the body to instruct immune cells to combat germs or viruses.
When blood levels are too high, the immune system can overreact, causing discomfort, swelling, and exhaustion, everyday symptoms.
People with chronic inflammation
The immunological response to Lyme bacteria in patients with high levels of interferon-alpha may produce chronic inflammation long after the infection is gone, according to Klemen Strle, an assistant research professor of molecular biology and microbiology at Tufts University and one of the study’s authors.
The study, which included 79 Lyme disease patients, was modest and discovered a connection between greater interferon-alpha levels and chronic Lyme disease symptoms. Not that the immunological marker was driving the long-term problems.
Spread of Lyme disease
According to the CDC, 30,000 to 500,000 people get Lyme disease yearly from a tick bite.
Most infections are minor and treatable with medications. About 10% of patients report symptoms, such as weariness and brain fog, as well as muscular, joint, and nerve pain that lingers even after treatment.
The latest conclusions indicate a substantial leap in understanding why certain Lyme disease patients experience chronic symptoms.
Previously, some experts suspected that a strain of the spiral-shaped Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which generates Lyme disease, could be the culprit.
It’s still indefinite why certain people have high interferon-alpha levels, but Strle says he’s looking into a hereditary cause.
