A neuroborreliosis case presenting with asymmetric painful radiculoneuritis

Abstract

Lyme disease (LD) is a tick-borne multisystem disease caused by infection with the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. LD is associated with numerous neurologic, rheumatologic, and cardiac manifestations. Neurologic manifestations are seen in 12-15% of untreated patients. LD is endemic in North America and Northern Europe. It is easy to diagnose LD in an endemic area if tick bite is recognized and the typical lesion erythema migrans is seen; however, it is a diagnostic challenge if the typical lesion is not seen in a country in which LD is not endemic. These cases may be underdiagnosed in Turkey because of the imitator nature of the disease and the belief that LD does not exist in Turkey. We report a patient who presented with acute asymmetrical paraparesis and was diagnosed and treated as having LD and discuss our case accompanied a literature review.