Clinical description of Lyme borreliosis according to a case

Abstract

Introduction: Lyme borreliosis is a multisystemic infection, caused by spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi complex, whose route of transmission is through the bite of a tick lodged in deer. It is an endemic disease of Eurasia and part of North America, where an epidemiology of 130-140 per 100,000 inhabitants is reported. The first case in Cuba was in 2003; however, there are no epidemiological studies in the island due to its infrequency.

Case presentation: we present the case of a 42-year-old female patient, who was admitted to the Ciego de Avila health services after three weeks of having traveled to the United States. The patient began with the first symptoms three days after her return from the North American country, from that moment on she began to experience typical manifestations, the most prominent symptom of which turned out to be erythema in the lower limbs. She was diagnosed with the early spread stage of Lyme disease, which was corroborated by serological tests. After receiving antibiotic therapy, the patient progressed favorably, without complications or recurrences.

Conclusions: it was concluded that it is necessary to have knowledge of this disease for its early diagnosis, avoiding its progress towards more advanced phases, which might reach the compromise of vital organ systems, such as the cardiovascular and the nervous systems. It is diagnosed taking into account the epidemiological history, the clinical manifestations and the serological confirmation. The patient responds well to doxycycline treatment.