Other research shows that synkinesis (involuntary movement of a facial muscle when another one is voluntarily moved) can become evident only 6–12 months after facial palsy appears to be resolved, as damaged nerves regrow and sometimes connect to incorrect muscles. Synkinesis is associated with corticosteroid use. In longer-term follow-up, 16–23% of Lyme facial palsies do not fully recover.In Europe, about a quarter of people with Bannwarth syndrome (Lyme radiculopathy and lymphocytic meningitis) treated with intravenous ceftriaxone for 14 days an average of 30 days after first symptoms had to be retreated 3–6 months later because of unsatisfactory clinical response or continued objective markers of infection in cerebrospinal fluid; after 12 months, 64% recovered fully, 31% had nondisabling mild or infrequent symptoms that did not require regular use of analgesics, and 5% had symptoms that were disabling or required substantial use of analgesics. The most common lingering nondisabling symptoms were headache, fatigue, altered sensation, joint pains, memory disturbances, malaise, radicular pain, sleep disturbances, muscle pains, and concentration disturbances. Lingering disabling symptoms included facial palsy and other impaired movement.Recovery from late neuroborreliosis tends to take longer and be less complete than from early neuroborreliosis, probably because of irreversible neurologic damage.About half the people with Lyme carditis progress to complete heart block, but it usually resolves in a week. Other Lyme heart conduction abnormalities resolve typically within 6 weeks.
It was originally mistaken for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The bacterium involved was first described in 1981 by Willy Burgdorfer. Chronic symptoms following treatment are known as "post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome" (PTLDS). PTLDS is different from chronic Lyme disease, a term no longer supported by scientists and used in different ways by different groups. Some healthcare providers claim that PTLDS is caused by persistent infection but this is not believed to be true because no evidence of persistent infection can be found after standard treatment.No human vaccines for Lyme disease are currently available, although research is ongoing. Multiple vaccines are available for the prevention of Lyme disease in dogs. Signs and symptoms
Lyme disease can affect several body systems and produce a broad range of symptoms. Not everyone with Lyme disease has all of the symptoms and many of the symptoms are not specific to Lyme disease but can occur with other diseases as well.The incubation period from infection to the onset of symptoms is usually one to two weeks but can be much shorter (days) or much longer (months to years). Lyme symptoms most often occur from May to September in the northern hemisphere because the nymphal stage of the tick is responsible for most cases. Asymptomatic infection exists but occurs in less than 7% of infected individuals in the United States. Asymptomatic infection may be much more common among those infected in Europe. Early localized infection
Early localized infection can occur when the infection has not yet spread throughout the body.