herxing
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Shortened from Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, which in turn derives from the names of Adolf Jarisch and Karl Herxheimer, physicians who separately described the reaction in syphilis patients.
Verb
[edit]herxing
- present participle and gerund of herx (“to experience Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction”)
Noun
[edit]herxing (uncountable)
- (medicine, informal) Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction, a negative reaction to antibiotic treatment.
- 1997 February, Edward McSweegan, “TNF antibodies get new lease”, in Nature Medicine, volume 3, number 2, page 130:
- Brenner’s own experience with “herxing” (a common phrase among Lyme patients) started 2 or 3 hours after his first antibiotic treatment.
- 2013 July, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Article Corrections”, in Gifted Child Today, volume 36, number 3, page 215:
- Moreover, the Jarish–Herxheimer reaction (sometimes referred to as “herxing”) is a rare syndrome seen within the first 48 hr of starting antibiotic treatment for some spirochetal diseases; the belief that “herxing” causes ongoing symptom flares in patients with Lyme disease is a fallacy for which there is no objective evidence.
- 2019 July 22, Molly Fischer, “Maybe it’s Lyme”, in New York magazine:
- Herxes, or “herxing,” are a great bugbear in the world of chronic Lyme. The term is drawn from the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, originally identified in the context of syphilis. It refers to a brief, severe reaction that can take place within the first few days of antibiotic treatment; as bacteria die off and release endotoxins, a patient experiences fever, chills, and sometimes dangerously low blood pressure.
- 2021 December, Sam Kriss, “It’s not all in your head”, in First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, page 12:
- He sets the machine to the frequency that’s supposed to kill the Lyme spirochete, turns it on, and immediately starts Herxing.
Usage notes
[edit]The informal terms Herx and herxing are common in discussions of Lyme disease, especially among patients of the disease and their supporters.