Lyme Disease Still Exists And Ravages

There's no really good test for Lyme disease.

That statement is accepted by pretty much everyone involved in the detection and treatment of Lyme disease. And that's about the last thing they agree on.

Behind the scenes, medical experts have been arguing over the Lyme disease facts, nature of Lyme disease, its duration and its treatment.

Now that argument, growing nastier by the day, has become public. U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and colleagues are requesting an inquiry into whether federal health officials have become biased in support of one side of the medical dispute, steering research dollars to scientists with whom they agree.

And the vehement disagreement over how to treat Lyme disease may be resulting in a number of very sick people not getting the medical assistance they deserve. When the temperature soars, few people protect themselves from deer ticks by wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants tucked into heavy socks and shoes, as recommended. But, many have learned to be wary if a tick burrows its way into their skin. And, if that happens, some will keep an eye out for the telltale bull's-eye rash, which, along with flu-like symptoms, signal that the Lyme disease-causing bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, have invaded their bodies.

And, that means a quick trip to the doctor and a round of oral antibiotics, which most physicians now prescribe for three weeks.

But, as often happens in medicine, the scenario isn't always that simple. Medical experts estimate that maybe up to 50 percent of Lyme disease patients don't get the bull's-eye rash.

“So, if a person has a lot of vague complaints without having had the rash, it might not be diagnosed correctly,” said Dr. Robert Bessette, an infectious disease specialist with the Fallon Clinic. And without initial treatment, the problems just continue further.''

Without early treatment, Lyme disease patients can become progressively ill with chronic arthritis, fatigue and neurological problems, signs of late-stage or chronic Lyme disease, according to Dr. Bessette.

When these patients do get a correct diagnosis, they need a month's treatment with intravenous antibiotics, said Dr. Bessette.

But some doctors disagree. They say that when some late-stage patients are taken off antibiotics, they feel worse, and that they need to stay on antibiotics for as long as a year or two.

That belief has raised the ire of medical experts who say that if problems aren't resolved after a month of intravenous antibiotic treatment, then they are not related to Lyme disease.

The other side counters that the medical establishment is ignoring the pleas of people who are seriously ill by refusing them long-term treatment.

So, is it really Lyme disease, or is it something else?

“The jury is still out,” said David Weld, executive director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation in Somers, N.Y. “Not enough research has been done in this area.”

According to Mr. Weld Lyme disease mimics' a lot of other diseases. “I have seen 104 different symptoms listed for this disease,” he said, with a laugh. “And I wake up with 20 or 30 of those every morning.”

However, it's possible, Mr. Weld thinks that there may be more to this bacterium that anyone realizes; these ticks may be carrying something else that causes people to have a long-term problem even though, in many instances, the (Lyme) bacterium has been killed.

Lyme Disease