Hip arthoplasty in a forester after numerous tick bites

Abstract

Arthritis is one of the most important symptoms of late-stage borreliosis, observed in approx. 60% of untreated patients with Lyme disease. In several percent of them, this manifestation is of interest to orthopedic surgeons. The authors present a case of a patient, working as a forester, who underwent left hip replacement arthroplasty having contracted a Borrelia burgdorferi infection in the past, and who was hospitalized 12 years before in the infectious ward due to suspected neuroborreliosis for which he was treated with Ceftriaxone 2 × 2.0 g intravenously for 4 weeks. At that time, a tomographic examination of the spinal cord revealed herniated nuclei at levels L4/L5 and L5/S1, which filled the left lateral recess, narrowing the intervertebral holes and compressing the nerve roots on the left side of L4 and L5. In September 2019, total hip replacement in the patient’s left hip joint was performed. It is concluded that an active role of neuroborreliosis in this process of hip joint destruction may be suggested. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(5):693–9