Severe Heart Problems

Lyme bacteria can invade your heart tissue, a condition called Lyme carditis. Carditis can range from mild to severe. The bacterial interference in your heart can cause chest pains, light-headedness, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations (23Trusted Source). The inflammation caused by the infection blocks the transmission of electrical signals from one chamber of the heart to the other, so the heart beats irregularly. This is known as heart block. Lyme can also affect the heart muscle itself. 

How common is Lyme carditis? Here are some statistics:

• The CDC reports that only 1 percent of reported Lyme cases involve carditis (23Trusted Source).
• Other studies report that 4 to 10 percent of Lyme patients (or more) have carditis (24Trusted Source, 25). However, these figures may include a broader definition of carditis.
• Children can also have Lyme carditis (24Trusted Source).

With treatment, most people will recover from an episode of Lyme carditis. However, it has caused occasional deaths. The CDC reported three sudden Lyme carditis deaths from 2012–2013 (26Trusted Source). Also, in some cases if the heart block cannot be corrected, a pacemaker may be needed.