What is the difference between lyme disease and fibromyalgia

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What is the difference between fibromyalgia and Lyme disease? School of Medicine, Family Medicine. At the time of our evaluation, late in the course of their illness, 11 patients had positive immunoglobulin Ig G antibody responses to Borrelia burgdorferi by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ELISA , one had a positive Western blot, and the three seronegative patients had positive cellular immune responses to borrelial antigens.

Four patients had abnormal cerebrospinal fluid analyses that showed an elevated protein level, a slight pleocytosis, or intrathecal antibody production to the spirochete. However, 14 of the 15 patients continued to have symptoms of fibromyalgia. Currently, only one patient is completely asymptomatic. Conclusions: Lyme disease may trigger fibromyalgia, but antibiotics do not seem to be effective in the treatment of the fibromyalgia.

Antibiotics are usually effective when given soon after the infection starts. In some cases, however, the person is not aware of the bite, and treatment is delayed. If the diagnosis is delayed or if Lyme disease returns, it may share some symptoms with fibromyalgia.

See Characteristic Symptoms of Fibromyalgia. How it is similar to fibromyalgia: Fatigue, stiffness, arthritis pain, extreme headaches, sleep problems, and difficulty concentrating can develop late in Lyme disease. Symptoms may come and go, sometimes returning years later. How it is different from fibromyalgia: Stiffness is typically confined to the neck in Lyme disease. Lyme disease often includes a distinctive, ring-shaped rash.

Antibiotics effectively treat the Lyme disease infection for most people when administered soon enough; there is no medicine that eliminates fibromyalgia. See Medications to Ease Fibromyalgia Symptoms. When a person has rheumatoid arthritis , the immune system attacks the body, causing inflammation and damage to the joints. In some cases, such as when the condition causes deformities in the fingers, the damage is obvious. Early diagnosis and treatment are important, since the inflammation causes increasing damage to the joints over time.

The hands and wrists, as well as the balls of the feet and the knees, are usually affected first.