Thread by @ilads_lyme

Robert Bransfield, MD: Thousands of peer-reviewed journal articles demonstrate the causal association between infections and #mentalillness 400+ peer reviewed scientific articles demonstrate the causal association between tick-borne disease and mental illness. #ILADS2022 #Lyme

2/Bransfield: Up to 40% of patients w/ #Lyme develop peripheral or central nervous system involvement. Psychiatric reactions include: #paranoia #dementia #schizophrenia #bipolar #panicattacks #depression #anorexianervosa, and #ODC #ILADS2022

3/Bransfield: Lyme is over represented in psychiatric patients. #ILADS2022

4/Bransfield: Consider #Lyme if:
● Acquired ADHD
● Regressive autism w/ childhood bipolar
● Panic attacks > 1⁄2 hour
● Childhood bipolar Sx
● Progressive white matter cognitive impairments with anxiety and depression
● Progressively declining mental state
#ILADS2022

5/Bransfield: "Is there a point at which your health declined, followed by a fluctuating progression and development of multi-systemic symptoms, including cognitive, psychiatric, neurological, and somatic symptoms adversely impacting school, social life, family life?" #ILADS2022

6/Bransfield: The most prevalent #Lyme #neuropsychiatric symptoms include the following
#ILADS2022

7/Bransfield: Negative attitudes about #Lyme associated diseases from family, friends, doctors, & the health care system may also contribute to #suicide risk. By indirect calculations, it is
estimated there are possibly over 1,200 LAD suicides in the US per year #ILADS2022

8/Bransfield: Chronic #sleep disturbances occur in 100% of Lyme disease patients. Impaired Sleep Correlates with Impaired Immune Functioning.
Growth hormone is dependent upon delta sleep & modulates immune response. #ILADS2022 #insomnia

9/Bransfield: Children are at the greatest risk. Children younger than 10 years old are bitten more frequently on the head and neck (49-80%) and bites on the head and neck correlate with neurological manifestations. #ILADS2022

10/Bransfield: Children Referred to Child Psychiatrist
● 80% (55 of 69) of children with ##psychiatric illness tested positive for tick-borne disease.
● 74% (20 of 27) of childhood #bipolar patients tested positive for tick-borne disease.
#ILADS2022

11/Bransfield: Unlike adults, children with #Lyme often do not have a memory of healthy functioning. #ILADS2022

12/Bransfield: Symptoms of #Lyme in children include #fatigue #pain #psychitatric symptoms #nonrestorativesleep #neurlogical symptoms, #irritability, sensitivity to stimulation #ILADS2022

12/Bransfield: Pediatric #Lyme symptoms by the numers:

13/Bransfield: If a pediatric patients experiences an abrupt, dramatic onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder, consider PANS (autoimmune condition caused by variety of infections including #Lyme #Bartonella) or PANDAS (caused by #strep).

14/Bransfield: Infections like #Lyme (#Borrelia) #Bartonella have also been linked to #austim #ASD #ILADS2022