eli5: what is the difference between chronic lyme disease and lyme disease? How can it be debilitating?
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Lyme disease is an actual real bacterial disease caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. It is transmitted by tick bites and is treatable with antibiotics.
Chronic lyme is not a real disease. It’s a broad collection of symptoms that people claim to have (and may even genuinely experience) but that have no scientific connection to real Lyme disease or the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. In other words, it’s not real – it’s a made up disease that people claim to have. People may genuinely be experiencing the reported symptoms, but they have no relation to actual Lyme disease.
Chronic Lyme should *not* be confused post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, which is the persistence of symptoms of Lyme disease in a person who actually had the infection even after the infection has been eliminated. Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome is real but rare and typically only occurs in people who were infected for a longer period of time before beginning treatment.
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