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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
A tick bite can do more damage than you think. A new Norwegian study found that patients hospitalized with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) were still struggling with memory lapses and symptom burden a full year later — far more so than healthy controls. Even cases that appear uncomplicated shouldn't be assumed to result in full recovery.
A new prospective study out of Norway is challenging the assumption that tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a short-lived illness. Researchers followed 109 hospitalized TBE patients and 80 matched controls over 12 months, using validated questionnaires to track memory, executive function, and overall symptom burden — and the results were striking.
At the one-year mark, TBE patients reported significantly more everyday memory difficulties and a heavier symptom burden than their healthy counterparts. Working memory was the standout cognitive domain affected. Factors like anxiety, depression, female sex, and greater acute disease severity were all tied to worse outcomes.
Clinicians may be too quick to declare TBE patients "recovered," especially after milder cases. This study makes a strong case for structured cognitive follow-up — including brief standardized tests and questionnaires — as a routine part of post-TBE care.
