Objective: To describe the clinical features of cardiac manifestations of Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne illness in North America, which occasionally results in cardiac involvement.
Data sources: A review of the English-language clinical literature pertaining to Lyme disease and Lyme carditis indexed in MEDLINE from 1975 to 1995.
Data extraction: Studies describing diagnosis, clinical features, treatment or outcome were reviewed.
Data synthesis: Cardiac complications of Lyme disease may occur in up to 8% of patients. Cardiac manifestations occur in the early phase of the illness, at a median of 21 days from the onset of erythema migrans. Manifestations of Lyme carditis include atrioventricular block, myopericarditis, intraventricular conduction disturbances, bundle branch block and congestive heart failure. Temporary cardiac pacing may be required in up to a third of cases and complete recovery occurs in most (greater than 90%) patients. The overall prognosis of Lyme carditis is very good, although recovery may be delayed and late complications such as dilated cardiomyopathy may occur.
Conclusion: Lyme disease is a tick-borne spirochetal infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Cardiac complications of Lyme disease generally occur in the early phase and include conduction system disturbances, myopericarditis and congestive heart failure.