Prospective Evaluation of the Frequency and Severity of Symptoms in Lyme Disease Patients With Erythema Migrans Compared With Matched Controls at Baseline, 6 Months, and 12 Months

Abstract

Patients with erythema migrans were more likely than matched control subjects to be symptomatic at baseline with a greater symptom severity score, but this was not found at ≥6 months. Use of symptom survey data alone, however, was less likely to identify patients with possible PTLDS compared with individual clinical assessments. Because it is very challenging to be certain that the presence of long-term symptoms in a particular patient is correctly attributable to having had Lyme disease, an objective biomarker would be highly desirable.