Clinical manifestations of Borrelia infections of the nervous system.

Clinical, treatment and laboratory parameters were analyzed in 46 consecutive Swedish patients with Borrelia infections of the nervous system. The importance of age in the clinical symptoms, the wide spectrum of disease, and the chronic behaviour of the Borrelia infection of the nervous system was stressed, as well as the benefit of high-dose intravenous antibiotics, especially penicillin G. Borrelia infection of the nervous system can imitate other diseases. When associated with meningitis it can mimic psychosomatic disorders, when associated with radiculoneuritis it may imitate herniated discs and when central nervous involvement of the Borrelia infection occurs, it can mimic a non-infectious, thrombotic or haemorrhagic cerebro-vascular disease.