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Practice Commentary
Russell S. Hoxsie, MD
Arch Fam Med. 1993;2(4):413.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings. |
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LITTLE BY little, the body of knowledge about Lyme disease expands. This article confirms previously reported abnormalities in acute Lyme disease. Twenty of 73 patients with Lyme disease proven by presence of erythema chronicum migrans showed elevated liver enzyme levels. Most were elevations in  -glutamyltransferase, but included aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase.
For the physician familiar with Lyme disease, the diagnosis is proved easily by the presence of erythema chronicum migrans. Serologic tests are useless in the acute stage as the article also shows. Only seven of 73 with erythema chronicum migrans had positive findings on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Suspicion of possible Lyme disease in patients in an endemic area are legion and often difficult to dispel. Reported here, is another diagnostic clue that may help in difficult cases.
. . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]
Author Affiliations
Chilmark, Mass
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