Objective
To describe systemic autoimmune joint diseases following Lyme disease and to compare their clinical features with Lyme arthritis.
Methods
Records of all adult patients referred to our Lyme arthritis clinic over a 13-year period in whom we diagnosed a systemic autoimmune joint disease following Lyme disease were reviewed. For comparison, records of patients enrolled in our Lyme arthritis (LA) cohort over the most recent 2-year period were analyzed. IgG antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi and to 3 Lyme disease-associated autoantigens were measured.
Results
We identified 30 patients who developed a new-onset systemic autoimmune joint disorder a median of 4 months after Lyme disease, usually erythema migrans (EM). Fifteen had rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 13 had psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and 2 had peripheral spondyloarthropathy (SpA). The 30 patients typically had polyarthritis; and those with PsA/SpA often had previous psoriasis, axial involvement, or enthesitis. In the comparison group of 43 LA patients, monoarticular knee arthritis, without prior EM, was the usual clinical picture. Most systemic autoimmune patients had positive tests for B. burgdorferi IgG antibodies by ELISA, but they had significantly lower titers and lower frequencies of Lyme-associated autoantibodies than LA patients. Prior to our evaluation, the patients often received additional antibiotics for presumed Lyme arthritis without benefit. We prescribed anti-inflammatory therapies, most commonly disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), resulting in improvement.
Conclusion
Systemic autoimmune joint diseases, RA, PsA/SpA, may follow Lyme disease. Development of polyarthritis after antibiotic-treated erythema migrans, previous psoriasis, or low-titer B. burgdorferi antibodies are clues to the correct diagnosis.