When Lyme Disease Triggers Multiple Food and Chemical Sensitivities

In the Summer of 2013, my daughter was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, Ehrlichia Chaffeensis and Bartonella, it all began the year before, after a family trip to Hawaii (her story here).  Her case of Bartonella was one of the worst her doctors had ever seen (see Bartonella rash here), and the diagnosis of her tick borne diseases was complicated by the fact that she had come down with a case of Parvo B-19 Virus at the beginning of her illness. All of these infections worked in concert to crash her immune system leading to multi systemic illness and a low white count, which she continues to struggle with today.

How Mast Cell Activation Disorder and Histamine Intolerance May Be Affecting Your Recovery From Lyme Disease

When Infection Triggers an Auto-Inflammatory Reaction

Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector-borne disease in the U.S. today with an estimated 329,000 Americans affected annually. Studies have shown that anywhere from 10-60% of patients who are treated with a standard course of antibiotics for Lyme Disease, will have continuing, sometimes debilitating symptoms. The CDC calls this chronic condition "Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome" (PTLDS). There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the reason for this condition may be due to an undiagnosed co-infection (like babesia bartonella, ehrlichia or anaplasma)[1] and/or treatment resistant Lyme bacteria, also known as persistent infection. (see my prior post on Lyme Persisters) The other possibility is that the infection triggers a dysfunction within the immune system. This can lead to an autoimmune or auto-inflammatory disease separate from or in addition to the infection. In this post I will be exploring how Lyme Disease can trigger an auto-inflammatory reaction through Mast Cell Activation.