Lyme Disease Education and Support Groups of Maryland

PRESS RELEASE

Happy Holidays- Congress Addresses Lyme Disease Patients Concerns

December 2006- Shortly before returning home for the holidays, Maryland's Congressmen Gilchrest, Wynn, Bartlett, Van Hollen, Cummings, Ruppersberger, Cardin and Hoyer signed the Lyme Disease Member Letter, sponsored by Congressman Christopher Smith from New Jersey. Chronically ill Lyme patients across the state were encouraged and very thankful for the unanimous support from their Congressional representatives.

Lyme disease is currently the most prevalent vector-borne disease, with over 200,000 new cases anticipated to affect United States residents annually. The CDC estimates for every case reported in Maryland, 7-12 are being missed. According to their estimated calculations, if current trends continue, by the year 2020 approximately 1/5 of Maryland's population will have been exposed to Lyme disease.

If Lyme is not properly diagnosed and adequately treated in the early stages, the spirochetal organism can affect every organ and system in the body. Arthritis, facial paralysis, encephalopathy, neurocognative disorders, muscle involvement and heart problems are some of the manifestations of chronic Lyme disease.

The Lyme Disease Letter sent by Maryland’s Congressional Representatives, addressed to Dr. Julia Louise Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), expressed concern about the potential impact that the Infectious Disease Society of America’s (IDSA) Lyme disease guidelines would have on the ability of physicians to treat chronic Lyme disease patients. The Letter also, in light of the Connecticut Attorney General’s investigation of the IDSA’s possible abuse of its power, use of exclusionary tactics to suppress treatment approaches, and their inadequate peer review process, requests insight and understanding in this regard.

The grass roots, non-profit Lyme Disease Education and Support Groups of Maryland, along with physicians, advocates and patients associated with national and international Lyme disease organizations believe the 2006 edition of the IDSA guidelines are grossly inadequate and have the potential to severely affect those who are chronically ill with tick borne infections. The guidelines limit a physician’s ability to clinically diagnose patients, limit adequate preventative and curative treatment protocols, and provide insurance companies a basis for the denial of services. In addition they promote reliance on lab tests that have repeatedly been demonstrated to be unreliable and concentrate on treatment protocols deemed “cost-effective”, rather than necessarily curative or supported by solid science.