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Understanding Lupus: Symptoms, Risks and New Advances in Treatment

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Tuesday, September 23, 2025

TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), often simply called lupus, is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system malfunctions and mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissues and organs.Lupus can involve almost every organ system, but it most commonly affects the skin, kidneys, joints and the linings of the heart and lungs. Types of lupusLupus can affect almost every organ system. Some patients only have skin disease, and this can be an intermittent rash that often flares during the summer months, as lupus is very sensitive to the rays of the sun. The rash of lupus can look like a sunburn on the face and upper chest, but can also be a deep, scarring rash (discoid lupus). The rash of discoid lupus can lead to permanent hair loss. SymptomsLupus can affect almost every organ system and, therefore, is often hard to diagnose. Additionally, lupus often isn’t the first condition that comes to mind with any of the symptoms a patient may have. It would be unusual for someone to present to a doctor suspecting lupus as a diagnosis, as it is more of a condition that explains multiple different symptoms and signs. It is a very difficult diagnosis to make without laboratory studies, as so many other conditions can cause similar symptoms, such as fatigue or heart or lung inflammation. Rash: The most obvious symptom is a rash, usually worsened by sun exposure. The rash can cause scarring, so it is important to avoid sun exposure, even in the winter months. It could present as a severe sunburn in someone who hasn’t had sunburns in the past or as deep scars in the scalp, ears or face. A fever and rash could be many diseases, and infection should be ruled out before considering lupus.  Inflammation of the kidney, heart or lung: Inflammation of the lungs and heart is usually something that brings patients to an emergency room. Kidney involvement is usually found with lab testing, and patients are often asymptomatic. Blood clots: Blood clotting issues are usually dramatic and life-threatening, such as losing a pregnancy near term or developing blood clots to the lungs. These episodes are not usually diagnosed at home, but with special tests and imaging.  Joint pain: Some patients have a pattern of disease that overlaps with rheumatoid arthritis and is mainly swollen, tender joints and morning stiffness. Many patients are referred to rheumatologists with “pain all over,” and this is very unlikely to be due to lupus. The morning is usually the worst time of the day, with pain and stiffness improving as the day proceeds.  Mental health: Lupus causes issues with mental health and thinking, due to a cognitive impairment commonly known as “brain fog.” Symptoms include difficulty concentrating, struggling with complicated tasks like schoolwork and increased rates of depression and anxiety. This effect of lupus is not well understood. Blood disorders: Lupus can make the blood cell counts for red cells (anemia), white blood cells and platelets lower than expected. These are usually asymptomatic, but an important laboratory finding in making the diagnosis of lupus. When to see a doctor about lupusLupus can cause a wide variety of symptoms. Rash is the most obvious sign, but it is not present in most patients. Other symptoms may include chest pain from inflammation in the heart or lungs; unexplained blood clots; arthritis at a young age; or unexplained kidney failure.It can be difficult to diagnose lupus, since these symptoms have more common causes, and lupus is usually not the first diagnosis considered. How is lupus diagnosed? Lupus is often diagnosed after laboratory testing. Tests showing kidney problems, low blood cell counts and signs of inflammation are helpful clues. A test called the anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) is invaluable.This antibody is found in many other diseases such as autoimmune liver disease, thyroid conditions and sometimes even healthy individuals, but it is always present in patients with active lupus. As such, a negative ANA excludes lupus as a diagnosis. Skin and kidney biopsies are also helpful for diagnosis. Not all patients will have all the symptoms and test results related to lupus, making diagnosis a challenge. Lupus can often be mistaken for an infection such as the flu, mononucleosis (“mono”) and pneumonia. The presence of a typical lupus rash often helps with making the diagnosis sooner, but the rash is not always present.How is lupus treated? Several recent medical advances in lupus research have occurred, especially in drug development. Hydroxychloroquine is an important medication that almost every patient with lupus should take regularly.It is safe and effective at treating many aspects of lupus such as arthritis, skin disease, hair loss and kidney disease. It can be taken during pregnancy and even during breastfeeding. One notable advancement is the development of anifrolimumab, a medication that targets the type I interferon pathway, which is overactive in many individuals with lupus. Anifrolimumab is a monoclonal antibody, a lab-created protein designed to mimic the body’s natural antibodies. This medication has shown promise in treating the skin manifestations of lupus.Another exciting area of research involves CAR-T cell therapy, which uses a patient's      immune cells (T cells) to fight disease. This innovative approach, which has shown some success in certain blood cancers, is now being explored for autoimmune diseases like lupus. Multiple clinical trials, including one at Boston Medical Center, are underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy in patients with severe lupus who haven't responded adequately to conventional treatments.While still in the experimental phase, CAR-T cell therapy represents a potentially transformative treatment option for individuals living with lupus.Causes of lupus The exact cause of lupus is unknown, but a combination of genetic, hormonal and environmental factors are thought to trigger the immune system to attack itself. However, a study in the journal Nature showed that one cause is a genetic mutation in a gene called “toll-like receptor 7.”This mutation increased the chance that the immune system would be easily activated to attack healthy organs, even in the absence of infection. Risk factors Sex: Women between the ages of 15 and 45 are much more likely to develop lupus and make up about 90% of all cases.  Family history: Having a sibling with lupus increases a person’s risk by about 20-fold compared to the general population. Race: People who are African American/Black, Inuit and Native American have triple the risk of lupus compared to white people, and their disease severity is often worse, especially kidney disease and the risk of death. Non-white Hispanic and Arab patients have about double the lupus risk compared to white patients in Canada and the United States. Living with lupus Living with lupus can be challenging, but with the proper care and lifestyle adjustments, many people can lead full, active lives. Symptoms like fatigue, joint pain and skin rashes have treatments available to help manage discomfort and prevent flare-ups. It's important to work closely with your health care team, take medications as prescribed, and protect your skin from the sun. Even patients with dark skin who have never had issues with sunburns in the past need to use sunscreen regularly.Sun exposure can trigger flares of the disease (including kidney disease) and cause scarring skin and scalp lesions (discoid lupus).  Does lupus increase the risk of other diseases? Lupus can affect many body parts including the heart, kidneys and lungs. It can also raise the risk for infections, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Some of these risks are related to the inflammation caused by lupus itself, while others may be linked to medications used to control the disease.Michael R. York, MD, is a rheumatologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC). Dr. York is also an assistant professor of medicine in the Department of Rheumatology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. He has over 20 years of experience and is an expert in caring for patients with scleroderma (scleroderma), systemic sclerosis, morphea, lupus and psoriatic arthritis. Dr. York's research focuses on the role of the immune system on the development of systemic sclerosis, and other vascular and fibrotic diseases.Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

By Michael R. York, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine HealthDay ReporterTUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2025 (...

TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), often simply called lupus, is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system malfunctions and mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissues and organs.

Lupus can involve almost every organ system, but it most commonly affects the skin, kidneys, joints and the linings of the heart and lungs. 

Types of lupus

Lupus can affect almost every organ system. Some patients only have skin disease, and this can be an intermittent rash that often flares during the summer months, as lupus is very sensitive to the rays of the sun. 

The rash of lupus can look like a sunburn on the face and upper chest, but can also be a deep, scarring rash (discoid lupus). The rash of discoid lupus can lead to permanent hair loss. 

Symptoms

Lupus can affect almost every organ system and, therefore, is often hard to diagnose. Additionally, lupus often isn’t the first condition that comes to mind with any of the symptoms a patient may have. 

It would be unusual for someone to present to a doctor suspecting lupus as a diagnosis, as it is more of a condition that explains multiple different symptoms and signs. 

It is a very difficult diagnosis to make without laboratory studies, as so many other conditions can cause similar symptoms, such as fatigue or heart or lung inflammation. 

  • Rash: The most obvious symptom is a rash, usually worsened by sun exposure. The rash can cause scarring, so it is important to avoid sun exposure, even in the winter months. It could present as a severe sunburn in someone who hasn’t had sunburns in the past or as deep scars in the scalp, ears or face. A fever and rash could be many diseases, and infection should be ruled out before considering lupus. 

  • Inflammation of the kidney, heart or lung: Inflammation of the lungs and heart is usually something that brings patients to an emergency room. Kidney involvement is usually found with lab testing, and patients are often asymptomatic.

  • Blood clots: Blood clotting issues are usually dramatic and life-threatening, such as losing a pregnancy near term or developing blood clots to the lungs. These episodes are not usually diagnosed at home, but with special tests and imaging. 

  • Joint pain: Some patients have a pattern of disease that overlaps with rheumatoid arthritis and is mainly swollen, tender joints and morning stiffness. Many patients are referred to rheumatologists with “pain all over,” and this is very unlikely to be due to lupus. The morning is usually the worst time of the day, with pain and stiffness improving as the day proceeds. 

  • Mental health: Lupus causes issues with mental health and thinking, due to a cognitive impairment commonly known as “brain fog.” Symptoms include difficulty concentrating, struggling with complicated tasks like schoolwork and increased rates of depression and anxiety. This effect of lupus is not well understood.

  • Blood disorders: Lupus can make the blood cell counts for red cells (anemia), white blood cells and platelets lower than expected. These are usually asymptomatic, but an important laboratory finding in making the diagnosis of lupus.

When to see a doctor about lupus

Lupus can cause a wide variety of symptoms. Rash is the most obvious sign, but it is not present in most patients. Other symptoms may include chest pain from inflammation in the heart or lungs; unexplained blood clots; arthritis at a young age; or unexplained kidney failure.

It can be difficult to diagnose lupus, since these symptoms have more common causes, and lupus is usually not the first diagnosis considered. 

How is lupus diagnosed? 

Lupus is often diagnosed after laboratory testing. Tests showing kidney problems, low blood cell counts and signs of inflammation are helpful clues. A test called the anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) is invaluable.

This antibody is found in many other diseases such as autoimmune liver disease, thyroid conditions and sometimes even healthy individuals, but it is always present in patients with active lupus. 

As such, a negative ANA excludes lupus as a diagnosis. Skin and kidney biopsies are also helpful for diagnosis. Not all patients will have all the symptoms and test results related to lupus, making diagnosis a challenge. 

Lupus can often be mistaken for an infection such as the flu, mononucleosis (“mono”) and pneumonia. The presence of a typical lupus rash often helps with making the diagnosis sooner, but the rash is not always present.

How is lupus treated? 

Several recent medical advances in lupus research have occurred, especially in drug development. Hydroxychloroquine is an important medication that almost every patient with lupus should take regularly.

It is safe and effective at treating many aspects of lupus such as arthritis, skin disease, hair loss and kidney disease. It can be taken during pregnancy and even during breastfeeding. 

One notable advancement is the development of anifrolimumab, a medication that targets the type I interferon pathway, which is overactive in many individuals with lupus. Anifrolimumab is a monoclonal antibody, a lab-created protein designed to mimic the body’s natural antibodies. This medication has shown promise in treating the skin manifestations of lupus.

Another exciting area of research involves CAR-T cell therapy, which uses a patient's      immune cells (T cells) to fight disease. This innovative approach, which has shown some success in certain blood cancers, is now being explored for autoimmune diseases like lupus. 

Multiple clinical trials, including one at Boston Medical Center, are underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy in patients with severe lupus who haven't responded adequately to conventional treatments.

While still in the experimental phase, CAR-T cell therapy represents a potentially transformative treatment option for individuals living with lupus.

Causes of lupus 

The exact cause of lupus is unknown, but a combination of genetic, hormonal and environmental factors are thought to trigger the immune system to attack itself. However, a study in the journal Nature showed that one cause is a genetic mutation in a gene called “toll-like receptor 7.”

This mutation increased the chance that the immune system would be easily activated to attack healthy organs, even in the absence of infection. 

Risk factors 

  • Sex: Women between the ages of 15 and 45 are much more likely to develop lupus and make up about 90% of all cases. 

  • Family history: Having a sibling with lupus increases a person’s risk by about 20-fold compared to the general population.

  • Race: People who are African American/Black, Inuit and Native American have triple the risk of lupus compared to white people, and their disease severity is often worse, especially kidney disease and the risk of death. Non-white Hispanic and Arab patients have about double the lupus risk compared to white patients in Canada and the United States.

Living with lupus 

Living with lupus can be challenging, but with the proper care and lifestyle adjustments, many people can lead full, active lives. Symptoms like fatigue, joint pain and skin rashes have treatments available to help manage discomfort and prevent flare-ups. 

It's important to work closely with your health care team, take medications as prescribed, and protect your skin from the sun. Even patients with dark skin who have never had issues with sunburns in the past need to use sunscreen regularly.

Sun exposure can trigger flares of the disease (including kidney disease) and cause scarring skin and scalp lesions (discoid lupus).  

Does lupus increase the risk of other diseases? 

Lupus can affect many body parts including the heart, kidneys and lungs. It can also raise the risk for infections, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Some of these risks are related to the inflammation caused by lupus itself, while others may be linked to medications used to control the disease.

Michael R. York, MD, is a rheumatologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC). Dr. York is also an assistant professor of medicine in the Department of Rheumatology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. He has over 20 years of experience and is an expert in caring for patients with scleroderma (scleroderma), systemic sclerosis, morphea, lupus and psoriatic arthritis. Dr. York's research focuses on the role of the immune system on the development of systemic sclerosis, and other vascular and fibrotic diseases.

Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have created an “optical sieve” capable of detecting minute nanoplastic particles. Functioning much like a test strip, this innovation is designed to provide a new analytical tool for environmental and health research. Researchers from the University of Stuttgart in Germany and the University of Melbourne in Australia have introduced [...]

Nanoplastic particles made visible: the newly developed test strip from the University of Stuttgart allows dangerous nanoplastic particles to be detected under a light microscope. Credit: University of Stuttgart / 4th Physics InstituteResearchers at the University of Stuttgart have created an “optical sieve” capable of detecting minute nanoplastic particles. Functioning much like a test strip, this innovation is designed to provide a new analytical tool for environmental and health research. Researchers from the University of Stuttgart in Germany and the University of Melbourne in Australia have introduced a simple way to analyze very small nanoplastic particles in environmental samples. The approach relies on a standard optical microscope and a newly designed test strip called the optical sieve. The findings are reported in Nature Photonics. “The test strip can serve as a simple analysis tool in environmental and health research,” explains Prof. Harald Giessen, Head of the 4th Physics Institute of the University of Stuttgart. “In the near future, we will be working toward analyzing nanoplastic concentrations directly on site. But our new method could also be used to test blood or tissue for nanoplastic particles.” Nanoplastics as a danger to humans and the environment Plastic waste ranks among the most urgent global challenges of the 21st century. It contaminates oceans, rivers, and beaches, and microplastics have been found in living organisms. Until recently, researchers have mainly examined larger fragments of plastic. Evidence now points to an even more concerning threat: nanoplastic particles. These particles are far smaller than the width of a human hair, form as bigger pieces of plastic break down, and cannot be seen with the naked eye. At sub-micrometer sizes, they can also pass through biological barriers, including the skin and the blood-brain barrier. Color changes make tiny particles visible Because of the small particle size, their detection poses a particular challenge. As a result, there are not only gaps in our understanding of how particles affect organisms but also a lack of rapid and reliable detection methods. In collaboration with a research group from Melbourne in Australia, researchers at the University of Stuttgart have now developed a novel method that can quickly and affordably detect such small particles. Color changes on a special test strip make nanoplastics visible in an optical microscope and allow researchers to count the number of particles and determine their size. The optical sieve nanoplastic particles fall into holes of the appropriate size in the test strip. The color of the holes changes. The new color provides information about the size and number of particles. Credit: University of Stuttgart / 4th Physics Institute“Compared with conventional and widely used methods such as scanning electron microscopy, the new method is considerably less expensive, does not require trained personnel to operate, and reduces the time required for detailed analysis,” explains Dr. Mario Hentschel, Head of the Microstructure Laboratory at the 4th Physics Institute. Optical sieve instead of expensive electron microscope The “optical sieve” uses resonance effects in small holes to make the nanoplastic particles visible. A study on optical effects in such holes was first published by the research group at the University of Stuttgart in 2023. The process is based on tiny depressions, known as Mie voids, which are etched into a semiconductor substrate. Depending on their diameter and depth, the holes interact characteristically with the incident light. This results in a bright color reflection that can be seen in an optical microscope. If a particle falls into one of the indentations, its color changes noticeably. One can therefore infer from the changing color whether a particle is present in the void. “The test strip works like a classic sieve,” explains Dominik Ludescher, PhD student and first author of the publication in “Nature Photonics”. Particles ranging from 0.2 to 1 µm can thus be examined without difficulty. “The particles are filtered out of the liquid using the sieve in which the size and depth of the holes can be adapted to the nanoplastic particles, and subsequently, the resulting color change can be detected. This allows us to determine whether the voids are filled or empty.” Number, size, and size distribution of particles can be determined The novel detection method used can do even more. If the sieve is provided with voids of different sizes, only one particle of a suitable size will collect in each hole. “If a particle is too large, it won’t fit into the void and will be simply flushed away during the cleaning process,” says Ludescher. “If a particle is too small, it will adhere poorly to the well and will be washed away during cleaning.” In this way, the test strips can be adapted so that the size and number of particles in each individual hole can be determined from the reflected color. Synthesized environmental samples examined For their measurements, the researchers used spherical particles of various diameters. These are available in aqueous solutions with specific nanoparticles. Because real samples from bodies of water with known nanoparticle concentrations are not yet available, the team produced a suitable sample themselves. The researchers used a water sample from a lake that contained a mixture of sand and other organic components and added spherical particles in known quantities. The concentration of plastic particles was 150 µg/ml. The number and size distribution of the nanoplastic particles were also determined for this sample using the “optical sieve.” Can be used like a test strip “In the long term, the optical sieve will be used as a simple analysis tool in environmental and health research. The technology could serve as a mobile test strip that would provide information on the content of nanoplastics in water or soil directly on site,” explains Hentschel. The team is now planning experiments with nanoplastic particles that are not spherical. The researchers also plan to investigate whether the process can be used to distinguish between particles of different plastics. They are also particularly interested in collaborating with research groups that have specific expertise in processing real samples from bodies of water. Reference: “Optical sieve for nanoplastic detection, sizing and counting” by D. Ludescher, L. Wesemann, J. Schwab, J. Karst, S. B. Sulejman, M. Ubl, B. O. Clarke, A. Roberts, H. Giessen and M. Hentschel, 8 September 2025, Nature Photonics.DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01733-x Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.

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Lyme Disease: What To Know About Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

By Charlotte Mao, MD, MPH, Bay Area Lyme Foundation HealthDay ReporterMONDAY, Sept. 22, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Lyme disease is the most common...

MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States, a potentially disabling infection caused by bacteria transmitted through the bite of an infected tick to people and pets.Another possible route of transmission, which is less well known and understudied, is from an infected pregnant mother to her unborn baby.Each year, the U.S. sees about 500,000 new cases of Lyme disease, according to statistics released in 2018 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Here’s what to know about how Lyme disease spreads, symptoms to watch for, treatment options and how to live well even if symptoms persist.What Is Lyme disease?Lyme disease is an infection caused mainly by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi in the United States. The bacteria are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks: the Western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) and Eastern blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), sometimes called a deer tick.The disease was first recognized in the 1970s after an outbreak in Lyme, Connecticut. Today, Lyme has been reported in all 50 states. However, while the geographic areas inhabited by ticks that carry Lyme-causing bacteria have expanded, ticks carrying these bacteria have not been identified in every state at this time.The highest rates are in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and parts of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.How Is Lyme disease transmitted?Ticks pick up the Lyme bacteria by feeding on infected animals, such as mice or birds. When an infected tick bites a person, the bacteria can be transmitted through the tick’s saliva.Ticks go through three life stages: larva, nymph and adult. Nymphs, which are roughly the size of a poppy seed, cause most human infections because they are easy to miss and active in warmer months when people are more often outdoors.How long a tick must be attached to a person’s skin before it transmits disease can vary. One European study documented six cases of confirmed Lyme disease in which tick attachment lasted less than six hours and nine more where transmission occurred in less than 24 hours.While it can take 24 to 36 hours for the bacteria to travel from the tick’s midgut to its salivary glands, transmission can start immediately in an estimated 10% of infected ticks that already carry bacteria in their saliva (due to having taken a partial blood meal before detaching and reattaching to a new host). Removing ticks promptly, ideally before they attach, is thus one of the best ways to prevent infection.What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?Symptoms can vary from mild to severe and may appear days, weeks or even months after the tick bite. Not everyone notices a tick or remembers being bitten. Symptoms vary from person to person and can be intermittent or changing and overlap across different stages, which makes diagnosis more confusing. Potential symptoms include but are not limited to:Early localized disease (days to weeks after infection):Expanding rash, sometimes with a bull’s-eye appearance (erythema migrans) — Importantly, a classic bullseye appearance with central clearing of the rash occurs in a minority of U.S. patients (about 20% reported in one study), although up to 80% of patients may have a rash of varying shapes Fatigue Fever and chills Headache Muscle and joint aches Swollen lymph nodes Early disseminated disease (weeks to months after infection):Multiple rashes on the body Facial weakness or paralysis, usually on one side but can be both (Bell’s palsy) Severe headaches and neck stiffness Pain, tingling or numbness in the arms or legs Cardiac problems, most commonly conduction disturbances (“heart block”) but also a variety of rhythm disturbances, pericarditis or myocarditis Late disease (months to years after infection):Joint swelling or pain, typically in a single or a few large joints such as the knee Neurological problems, such as numbness, tingling, vision/hearing problems or cognitive/memory issues. Reported across all stages of disease:Neuropsychiatric or behavioral manifestations (mood swings, anxiety, depression) Presumed dysautonomia symptoms, such as dizziness, lightheadedness, increased heart rate when standing, and temperature regulation issues, have also been described. Some people never develop the classic rash or other early symptoms, or these signs go unrecognized, so they first present with early disseminated or late-stage symptoms. Why is Lyme disease sometimes missed?Lyme disease is sometimes called “the great imitator” because its symptoms resemble those of other conditions such as flu, chronic fatigue syndrome or autoimmune disorders. Diagnosis is based on a combination of symptoms, possible tick exposure and lab tests.The standard blood tests detect antibodies to Lyme bacteria and not the infection itself. Therefore, these tests may not show a positive result in people with early infection, as their bodies have not yet produced enough antibodies. Importantly, it can also fail to detect later-stage disease, contributing to many missed diagnoses. For this reason, doctors rely on symptoms and exposure history in addition to lab tests when making a clinical diagnosis.How can you prevent Lyme disease?The best way to avoid Lyme disease is to prevent tick bites. Here’s how:Use U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin or IR3535. Treat clothing and gear with permethrin. Wear long sleeves, long pants and closed shoes when in grassy or wooded areas. Tuck pants into socks to block ticks from crawling up legs. Stay in the center of trails and avoid tall grass or leaf litter. Check your body, clothing, gear and pets for ticks after outdoor activities. Shower within two hours of coming indoors to help remove ticks before they attach. If you find an attached tick, remove it promptly with fine-tipped tweezers, grasping it close to the skin and pulling straight out.Once removed, consider sending the tick for testing to determine what pathogens it may be carrying. This will give you a good gauge of what to look out for.Of note, if the tick is carrying pathogens, it does not necessarily mean they were passed to you, and if the tick is not carrying pathogens, you should still consider that it is possible you were bitten by another tick that went unnoticed.How Is Lyme disease treated?Early Lyme disease is typically treated with oral antibiotics, such as doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and CDC recommend 10 to 14 days of antibiotics for early-stage Lyme disease with the caveat that regimens “may need to be adjusted depending on factors such as age, medical history, underlying health conditions, pregnancy status or allergies.” The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), recommends four to six weeks of antibiotics, with the duration tailored to the patient’s response and clinical circumstances; ILADS guidelines also state that, when necessary, antibiotic therapy should be extended. Patients with certain neurological or cardiac forms of illness may require intravenous treatment with drugs such as ceftriaxone or penicillin.  More advanced neurological or joint disease sometimes requires treatment with longer and more complex regimens or IV antibiotics. Many people can recover fully with prompt treatment, but some continue to experience symptoms for months or years after finishing antibiotics.What about lingering symptoms?Persistent symptoms after treatment, sometimes called persistent Lyme disease (PLD) or Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), can include, but are not limited to, fatigue, pain and cognitive difficulties. The cause is debated. The possibility of unidentified coinfections contributing to lingering symptoms should be excluded with testing. Additional hypotheses for the cause of persistent symptoms include incompletely eradicated Lyme bacteria, lingering immune responses (autoimmunity), residual tissue damage and other complicating factors acting individually or in combination.Scientific studies funded by Bay Area Lyme Foundation have shown that Lyme infection can persist post-treatment due to Lyme bacteria that are not completely eradicated.On the horizon: Next steps in researchResearchers across the country, including teams supported by Bay Area Lyme Foundation and its affiliates, are working to close critical gaps in Lyme disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.Current priorities include creating more sensitive and specific diagnostic tests that not only better detect infection early on but also improve recognition of past and late-stage disease, distinguish active from past infections, and confirm when treatment has been successful.Efforts are also underway to identify new therapeutic options for patients with persistent symptoms, to explore vaccines, develop novel prevention tools, and to deepen scientific understanding of Lyme bacteria and the immune system’s response to it.How Bay Area Lyme Foundation is powering progressBay Area Lyme Foundation funds innovative research and fosters collaboration among scientists, clinicians and public health experts to accelerate solutions for Lyme disease.The Foundation’s initiatives include supporting the development of next-generation diagnostics and advancing potential new treatments. It is the founding/operating Lyme Disease Biobank, a vital resource of well-characterized biological samples — including donated blood, urine and tissue  — for researchers worldwide.With its mission to make Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure, Bay Area Lyme Foundation is committed to reducing the impact of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases for patients everywhere.The bottom lineLyme disease is common, but with awareness, early diagnosis and effective treatment, most people recover fully.To reduce the burden of the disease and help those with persistent symptoms, continued research into new, more accurate diagnostics and improved treatments is essential.Prevention is key: Protect yourself against tick bites, check for ticks after being outdoors, and seek medical care promptly if you develop symptoms.Charlotte Mao, MD, MPH, Bay Area Lyme Foundation, is a pediatric infectious diseases physician whose area of clinical focus is Lyme disease and associated infections. She is a member of Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s Advisory Board and Science Committee. Graduating from Harvard Medical School, she completed her pediatric residency and pediatric ID fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her prior area of subspecialty during 25 years at Boston Children’s Hospital was pediatric HIV clinical care and clinical research. She turned her focus to Lyme disease and associated infections on gaining extensive clinical experience with pediatric Lyme disease in the referral infectious disease clinic there. Later joining the Department of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital, she provided consultative pediatric infectious disease specialty care in a multidisciplinary clinic for children with complex Lyme disease and associated infections at the Dean Center for Tickborne Illness at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Click here to read her published paper entitled Microbes and Mental Illness: Past, Present, and Future.Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Wildfire Smoke Now Kills 41,000 Americans a Year, Study Finds

By I. Edwards HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Every summer, hazy skies and the smell of burning wood remind Americans...

FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Every summer, hazy skies and the smell of burning wood remind Americans that wildfires affect far more than just the communities where they ignite.Their smoke drifts for hundreds, even thousands of miles, darkening the air in cities across the nation. But the health impact goes far beyond watery eyes and coughs.A new study shows wildfire smoke is now responsible for more than 41,000 deaths in the United States every year.And by 2050? Researchers warn that smoke could become the deadliest climate-driven threat to Americans, claiming tens of thousands more lives each year.Further, by midcentury, smoke-related deaths are expected to climb by another 26,500 to 30,000 per year, making wildfire smoke the deadliest climate-driven health threat for Americans, more dangerous than extreme heat, crop losses or rising energy costs, according to the study published Sept. 18 in the journal Nature.“Wildfire smoke is a much larger health risk than we might have understood previously,” study author Marshall Burke, a professor of environmental social sciences at Stanford University, said in a news report published by NBC News.The research estimated deaths by combining data with satellite smoke tracking and climate models. The results suggest wildfire smoke is erasing decades of clean air progress from the Clean Air Act, especially in western states and places such as New York.Experts warn that tiny particles in smoke can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream, raising the risk of asthma, lung cancer, preterm birth, miscarriage and heart disease.And when wildfires burn buildings and plastics and not just trees, the mix of chemicals may be even more toxic.Dr. Joel Kaufman of the University of Washington, who studies air pollution, said, “These results imply, if anything, wildfire smoke may be more toxic” than other common forms of pollution.The study projects that the annual death toll tied to wildfire smoke will rise 64% to 73% by 2050.While the findings rely on models rather than individual death tracking, health leaders say, this shows why it’s urgent to act on climate change and protect the air we breathe.“It strengthens what we are saying about wildfires being connected to climate change and subsequent public health impacts,” said Dr. John Balmes of the American Lung Association.SOURCE: NBC News, Sept. 18, 2025Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Gas stove makers quietly delete air pollution warnings as they fight mandatory health labels

Manufacturers sued to stop a Colorado law requiring air quality warnings, arguing gas stoves are safe. Some of their websites once said the opposite.

The home appliance industry would like you to believe that gas-burning stoves are not a risk to your health — and several companies that make the devices are scrambling to erase their prior acknowledgements that they are.  That claim is at the heart of a lawsuit the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers has filed against the state of Colorado to stop it from requiring natural gas stoves, which burn methane, to carry health labels not unlike those on every pack of cigarettes. “Understand the air quality implications of having an indoor gas stove,” the warning would read. The law was to take effect August 5 but is now on hold, and state officials did not respond to a request for comment. In its federal lawsuit, the Association — whose board includes representatives of LG Electronics, BSH Home Appliance Corp. (which makes Bosch appliances), Whirlpool, and Samsung Electronics — asserts that the labeling requirement is “unconstitutional compelled speech” and illegal under the First Amendment. It calls the legislation a climate law disguised as a health law and, most strikingly, it claims there is “no association between gas stoves and adverse health outcomes.”  Yet LG, BSH, Whirlpool, and Samsung have published information on their websites directly contradicting that claim and lauded the health benefits of electric and induction stoves.  “Traditional gas appliances can emit harmful pollutants, which can compromise indoor air quality and pose health risks,” reads a blog post, titled “Life’s Good When It’s Electrified,” that LG published in May of 2024. “By switching to electric appliances, these risks are substantially reduced, ensuring a cleaner and safer home environment.”  Another LG page noted that “induction surfaces remain cool to the touch and unlike gas, is better for kitchen air quality” as recently as May 25, according to an archived version of the site maintained by Wayback Machine. It was later revised to eliminate mention of gas, reading “Surfaces remain cool to the touch — no open flames or hot coils. No fumes, either, so it’s [sic] air quality-friendly.” BSH’s page on Bosch induction cooktops notes that the devices are “safer to use because unlike other types of cooktops, they do not release indoor air pollutants during cooking.” Whirlpool wrote that induction cooktops might help “reduce indoor air pollutants.”  And until last week, a page on Samsung’s U.S. website said “induction cooktops can … help remove concerns over indoor air pollution, creating a sustainable and healthier home environment. The page’s source code did not appear to have been updated since 2022. Samsung did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but the page was taken down shortly after Grist reached out to the company.  Itai Vardi, a researcher with the Energy and Policy Institute, was the first to notice the discrepancies between what the Association said in its lawsuit and what some of its manufacturers have said in the past. “The statements coming from them directly contradict the very strong language in this lawsuit,” Vardi said. “And that, I think, deserves some scrutiny.” Scientific evidence that gas stoves pollute by releasing dangerous concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, benzene, and methane has accumulated since 1970. Justin Paget / Getty Images In its lawsuit, the Association argues that “the potential health risks of cooking with gas are no different than cooking with electricity” and acknowledging the ways gas-burning appliances can harm respiratory health promotes “non-consensus, scientifically controversial, and factually misleading” messages. It adds that “there is scant scientific support” for disclosing health risks associated with gas appliances.  Asked for comment, the organization referred to a statement it issued August 6 saying “no study has found that gas stoves cause respiratory health issues.”  When reached for comment, a BSH representative stated that the company is as of now “in complete alignment” with the Association’s position. An LG representative noted that the most pollution-acknowledging statements on their website were in fact made by the company’s UK branch, but did not respond to a follow-up question about whether the UK and US divisions disagree on the risks of LG products. “This is a troubling attempt by these companies’ to quickly erase their own public acknowledgement of the dangers of gas stoves,” said Vardi. “But you can scrub your website, not the fact of gas stove pollution.”  Scientific evidence that gas stoves pollute by releasing dangerous concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, benzene, and methane has piled up for the past half-century. In 1970, scientist Carl Shy showed that families exposed to high levels of nitrogen dioxide indoors are at greater risk of asthma and other respiratory illnesses than those who are not. Nine years later, scientist Bernard Goldstein identified the fuel as the likely source of all that nitrogen. A bevy of studies and papers in the decades since came to similar conclusions. One 2022 study estimated that 12 percent of American children with asthma develop that respiratory condition solely due to living in homes with gas stoves.  Appliance manufacturers and the natural gas industry are no stranger to promoting their products regardless of known health risks. “There’s been a campaign by industry to keep the science under wraps or to confuse it, deny it,” said Abe Scarr of the consumer-protection nonprofit Public Interest Working Group.  The lobbyists at the American Gas Association have worked hard to popularize gas stoves: At one point, the organization even provided the stoves Julia Child used in her popular cooking show. The campaign went beyond product placement: When information on the health risks of gas stoves began to emerge in the mid-1970s, industry lobbyists launched “Operation Attack,” a million-dollar marketing campaign to bring the stoves into even more kitchens. This worked: today, about 40% of Americans cook with gas. They also funded their own research, which cast doubt on independent findings on the health risks of gas stoves.  Environmental health sciences professor Misbath Daouda of the University of California, Berkeley, was recently part of a pilot study replacing gas stoves in low-income New York City apartments with induction stoves. Nitrogen dioxide concentrations in those apartments, she said, dropped by over 50 percent within months – and the families who lived there liked their new cooktops better than the old ones, she said.  The association between gas stoves and adverse health outcomes, Daouda said, “is clear.”  “I’m not sure who they are referring to when they say the majority of studies” don’t support that conclusion, she said. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Gas stove makers quietly delete air pollution warnings as they fight mandatory health labels on Sep 17, 2025.

Health
Pollution
Energy

New Biomarker Could Detect Alzheimer’s Years Before Symptoms Appear

TSPO levels rise early in Alzheimer’s and persist throughout disease. Targeting this biomarker could open new treatment options. TSPO, a major marker of brain inflammation, may offer a way to detect Alzheimer’s disease long before memory problems and other symptoms develop. Findings published in Acta Neuropathologica suggest it could transform both diagnosis and treatment strategies. [...]

A new study suggests that TSPO, a key biomarker of brain inflammation, may reveal the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease long before symptoms appear. Credit: StockTSPO levels rise early in Alzheimer’s and persist throughout disease. Targeting this biomarker could open new treatment options. TSPO, a major marker of brain inflammation, may offer a way to detect Alzheimer’s disease long before memory problems and other symptoms develop. Findings published in Acta Neuropathologica suggest it could transform both diagnosis and treatment strategies. “This is the first study to really examine how early this biomarker increases and where it begins rising in the brain,” said Tomás R. Guilarte, lead researcher and dean of FIU’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. “If we can use this information to help delay Alzheimer’s progression by even five years, it can drastically improve patients’ lives and reduce disease prevalence.” Longstanding research on TSPO Guilarte, a recognized authority on TSPO (translocator protein 18 kDa), has investigated the protein for more than 30 years. His research helped establish it as a dependable imaging marker for identifying neuroinflammation across multiple neurological, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric conditions. Researchers Daniel Martínez Pérez (L) and Dr. Tomás R. Guilarte (R) in the Brain, Behavior and the Environment Laboratory at Florida International University. Guilarte and Martínez Pérez published a study that found TSPO, a key biomarker of brain inflammation, could help detect Alzheimer’s disease years before memory loss and other symptoms set in. Credit: Chris Necuze, Florida International UniversityFor the current study, Guilarte and colleagues applied advanced imaging techniques to track TSPO activity in genetically engineered mouse models of familial Alzheimer’s. They then validated these results using donated brain tissue from members of the world’s largest community with early-onset familial Alzheimer’s, based in Antioquia, Colombia. These families carry the “paisa” mutation, first identified by the late Dr. Francisco Lopera, a co-author of the study who spent his career searching for ways to prevent Alzheimer’s. Individuals with this genetic variant often develop symptoms in their 30s or 40s and typically die in their 50s. L: The original cell image. R: The same cell image zoomed in and rendered in the special imaging software. Microglia (blue) signaling TSPO (red) are clustered around plaques (cyan). Researchers at Florida International University published a study that found TSPO, a key biomarker of brain inflammation, could help detect Alzheimer’s disease years before memory loss and other symptoms set in.  Credit: Chris Necuze, Florida International UniversityEarly changes in the hippocampus In the mouse model, researchers detected elevated TSPO levels in the subiculum – a critical part of the hippocampus – as early as six weeks of age, roughly equivalent to age 18–20 in humans. Microglia, the brain’s main immune cells, specifically those clustered around amyloid plaques, had the highest levels of TSPO. Notably, female mice had higher TSPO levels, mirroring real-world statistics: two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients are women. Daniel Martínez Pérez holds tissue sample. Martínez Pérez, a researcher in Florida International University’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, is the first author of a study that found TSPO, a key biomarker of brain inflammation, could help detect Alzheimer’s disease years before memory loss and other symptoms set in. Credit: Chris Necuze, Florida International UniversityThe brain tissue samples from the Colombian patients with the paisa mutation showed the same pattern. Even in late-stage Alzheimer’s, TSPO remained high in microglia near plaques. These results raise new questions about TSPO’s function – whether it contributes to damage or protects the brain – and whether blocking or enhancing it could halt disease progression. Next steps in research The team is now working with a specially developed Alzheimer’s mouse model lacking TSPO to explore these questions further. They’re also expanding the study to include sporadic, late-onset Alzheimer’s cases, the form that accounts for over 90% of all diagnoses. Researchers Dr. Tomás R. Guilarte (L) and Daniel Martínez Pérez (R) in the Brain, Behavior and the Environment Laboratory at Florida International University. Guilarte and Martínez Pérez published a study that found TSPO, a key biomarker of brain inflammation, could help detect Alzheimer’s disease years before memory loss and other symptoms set in. Credit: Chris Necuze, Florida International University“The more we understand these processes,” said Daniel Martínez Pérez, first author and Ph.D. candidate in Guilarte’s lab, “the closer we get to tailoring treatments that can truly help – before it’s too late.” Reference: “Amyloid-β plaque-associated microglia drive TSPO upregulation in Alzheimer’s disease” by Daniel A. Martinez-Perez, Jennifer L. McGlothan, Alexander N. Rodichkin, Karam Abilmouna, Zoran Bursac, Francisco Lopera, Carlos Andres Villegas-Lanau and Tomás R. Guilarte, 17 July 2025, Acta Neuropathologica.DOI: 10.1007/s00401-025-02912-4 This work was supported by grants ES007062-24 to T.R.G. from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), ES007062-23S1 to T.R.G. from the National Institute on Aging, and T32-ES033955 to A.N.R. from the NIEHS. Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.

Health
Science

Suggested Viewing

In His Own Home

Heavily armed officers of the University of Florida police department in Gainesville, FL, responding to a 911 call from a neighbor who heard screams, break into the campus apartment of Ghanaian graduate student, Kofi Adu-Brempong. Clad in SWAT gear and ready to attack, they see the disabled doctoral student, sitting with a metal table leg in his hand and within a minute of entry, shoot the unarmed man in the face. Adu-Brempong, who because of childhood polio, needed a cane to walk, and had been suffering from mental illness, now has severe facial injuries, and is charged with resisting arrest. He is guarded outside his hospital door, his legs shackled together when going to the bathroom. The officer who shoots Kofi, and who had previously been caught cruising through town throwing eggs at residents of a Black neighborhood, is not suspended or fired. Student protests lead the administration to drop charges but calls for revoking SWAT-like teams on campus go unheard. Kofi’s shooting is not an isolated incident but part of an ongoing pattern of police brutality against Blacks and a stark reminder of the dangers of increasingly militarized campuses nationwide. In His Own Home came out of outrage by a small group of concerned community members committed to seeing social justice happen on a local level. This documentary is an educational and organizing tool, especially calling for our communities to be safe from violence by racist and over-armed police.

Social Justice
Health
Activism

Allergy Alert: Paranoia in Our Immune System

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Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfields

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We Are Nature

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Sprayed

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Chemicals
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