What organs does Lyme disease affect?
Lyme disease affects multiple organs and tissues in the body. During the early and localized stage, known as the erythema migrans phase, the skin is primarily affected where the bite occurs, showing a red, expanding rash. As the infection spreads and reaches the disseminated stage, it can impact various organs, including:
- Joints: Lyme disease can cause inflammatory arthritis, particularly affecting the knees, elbows, and wrists.
- Heart: In some cases, the infection can spread to the heart, leading to Lyme carditis. This condition may cause abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), including heart block, and inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) or the sac surrounding the heart (pericarditis).
- Nervous system: Lyme disease can affect the nervous system, leading to neurologic symptoms. This can include meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord) or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain tissue) and cranial neuritis (inflammation of the nerves that control eye movement and facial muscles).
- Central nervous system: In some cases, individuals may develop a late neurological manifestation called Lyme neuroborreliosis. It involves severe neurologic complications such as meningitis, encephalitis, radiculitis (inflammation of the nerve roots), and encephalomyelitis (inflammation of both the brain and spinal cord).
- Eyes: Lyme disease can cause inflammation of various structures in the eye, including the uvea (the middle layer of the eye), leading to uveitis.
- Skin: Aside from the initial erythema migrans rash, Lyme disease can cause other skin manifestations, such as acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA), which affects the skin on the limbs, particularly the hands and feet, causing atrophy, discoloration, and thinning.
- Musculoskeletal system: Lyme disease can also impact bones, muscles, and joints, causing musculoskeletal pain and inflammation.