Myositis during Borrelia burgdorferi infection (Lyme disease).
During the second stage of an illness caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a young woman developed a myopathic syndrome characterised by severe muscular pains, incapacitating weakness of the proximal limb and the neck, as well as the bulbar muscles and elevated serum CK levels. Muscle biopsy revealed a non-inflammatory necrotising myopathy. B. burgdorferi infection was confirmed by a considerable rise of specific IgG antibodies. A course of high dose steroids alleviated the myalgias, but paresis began to improve only after treatment with antibiotics. Our observations confirm that B burgdorferi can cause, through an undertermined mechanism, a necrotising myopathy, in addition to the wide spectrum of already known neurological complications.
Schoenen
J
J
Department of Neurology, University of Liege, Belgium.
Sianard-Gainko
J
J
Carpentier
M
M
Reznik
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001706:Biopsy; D001898:Borrelia / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D009220:Myositis / Q000473:pathology*; D009336:Necrosis
D007074:Immunoglobulin G