An unusual presentation of Lyme neuroborreliosis
Kitto, L.; McKenna, C.
Acute Medicine 14(1): 32-35
2015
ISSN/ISBN: 1747-4884 PMID: 25745648 Document Number: 16207
Back pain is a common symptom among patients presenting to the acute medical unit. We describe the case of a 55-year-old man with a brief history of fatigue and severe back pain, unresponsive to escalating doses of opiate analgesia. Blood tests and imaging studies were unremarkable and a functional diagnosis was considered. Several weeks into his admission he developed a lower motor neurone facial nerve palsy. He was treated with antibiotics for an incidental finding of a hospital-acquired pneumonia on imaging, which remarkably led to the resolution of his facial palsy and allowed a dramatic reduction in analgesia. This triggered further investigations; identifying Lyme neuroborreliosis as the cause of his symptoms.
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