The Mystery of Lyme Disease Recovery Time

New research suggests that an immune system marker in the blood called interferon-alpha is elevated among people with lingering Lyme disease symptoms, even after they’ve received antibiotics. The study found that the immune response to the Lyme bacteria may cause chronic inflammation, even once the infection is gone. The findings represent a significant shift in understanding why some people infected with Lyme suffer chronic symptoms. The study was small, including 79 people diagnosed with Lyme disease, and found only a link between the higher interferon-alpha levels and the persistent Lyme disease symptoms, not that the immune marker was itself causing the lasting symptoms.