Lyme Disease and Life Expectancy

Quick answer

Deaths from Lyme disease are rare. When they happen, the main known cause is Lyme carditis, an infection affecting the heart’s electrical system. The sources we reviewed do not report that Lyme disease shortens life expectancy for most people. Most people recover fully with antibiotics, and serious heart problems respond to prompt treatment.

How often does Lyme disease cause death?

Very rarely. The best-documented cause of death is Lyme carditis, which can disrupt the signals that keep the heart beating in rhythm (heart block). In 2013, CDC reported three sudden deaths from Lyme carditis in young adults from high-incidence states. The report said such deaths are rare and that only four had been reported previously. It also noted that a review of about 20,000 heart tissue samples received by one tissue bank since 2004 found no other confirmed cases.

Serious heart involvement is uncommon in general. The same report said advanced heart block occurs in about 0.8% of reported Lyme cases. CDC’s carditis page says patients generally recover within 1 to 6 weeks with treatment, and some may need a temporary pacemaker. For more detail, see Can Lyme disease kill you? and Lyme carditis.

Can Lyme disease shorten your life?

We looked for evidence that Lyme disease shortens life expectancy for most people and did not find it in the official and medical sources we reviewed. Those sources describe Lyme as an infection that usually responds well to antibiotics, with deaths being rare. That said, there are a few situations where Lyme or its treatment can pose serious risks:

• Untreated heart involvement. Lyme carditis is treatable, but it needs prompt care. CDC says people with suspected severe carditis need immediate hospital monitoring.
• Late complications. CDC says untreated late Lyme can cause lasting joint or nerve damage. These affect quality of life, but the sources we reviewed do not tie them to shorter lifespan. See untreated Lyme disease years later.
• Risky treatments. A 2017 CDC report described serious infections in patients treated long-term for “chronic Lyme disease,” mostly linked to IV lines. One patient died of septic shock. CDC also links long-term antibiotics to sepsis and colitis.
• Other tick-borne infections. The same tick can spread other infections. See co-infections.

Living with long-term symptoms

For many people, the bigger concern is not how long they will live but how well. Some people have fatigue, pain or trouble thinking for months or longer after treatment. Patient-reported data from LymeDisease.org’s MyLymeData registry (2025 study) found that 74% of chronic patients rated their quality of life as fair or poor, compared with 36% of acute patients. Those numbers come from people who chose to join the registry, so they are not population statistics, but they show how heavy the burden can be.

CDC says people with lingering symptoms usually improve over time, though recovery can take many months. Help is available for fatigue, sleep, pain and mood. See chronic Lyme disease and long-term Lyme, Lyme disease fatigue and Lyme disease and mental health.

How to protect your long-term health

• See a provider promptly for a rash, fever or flu-like illness after a tick bite. Early treatment helps prevent later problems (CDC).
• Report heart symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness or shortness of breath.
• Finish your antibiotics as prescribed.
• Ask about risks and evidence before starting any long-term or unproven treatment.
• Keep preventing tick bites. See Lyme disease prevention.

This page is part of step 5 of How to beat Lyme.

Frequently asked questions