For early cases, prompt treatment is usually curative. However, the severity and treatment of Lyme disease may be complicated due to late diagnosis, failure of antibiotic treatment, simultaneous infection with other tick-borne diseases (co-infections), including; ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and bartonella, and immune suppression in the patient.
A meta-analysis published in 2005 found that some patients with Lyme disease have fatigue, joint and/or muscle pain, and neurocognitive symptoms persisting for years despite antibiotic treatment. Patients with late stage Lyme disease have been shown to experience a level of physical disability equivalent to that seen in congestive heart failure.
In rare cases, Lyme disease can be fatal.The first CDC recognized death from Lyme disease was Amanda Schmidt, age 11.
