This is the first study to examine and quantify sleep quality in the context of well-defined early Lyme disease (LD) and post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), reports Outbreak News Today.
The findings provide support that sleep disturbance should be considered in the clinical picture of individuals with LD. Sleep quality may particularly be poor and associated with the pain experience for individuals with PTLDS. Future research will need to validate and expand upon these findings to investigate sleep quality in individuals exposed to LD who are not well-defined and/or ideally treated.
Why was this study done?
Lyme disease (LD), caused by the bite of an infected tick, is the most common vector-borne disease in the US, with over 300,000 new cases each year. Some patients treated for LD go on to develop post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) which is characterized by ongoing fatigue, pain, nervous system and cognitive complaints that can lead to a decline in daily life functioning.
