Hope for Lyme disease sufferers

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Posted: Friday, June 5, 2015 3:30 am

Bad news first? Mistakes were made counting Lyme disease cases. Big mistakes. According to the CDC, its previously reported numbers were short by a factor of 10. The more accurate total is 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease per year.

More bad news? In multiple studies, antibiotics typically used to treat Lyme disease have been proven to not eradicate all of the Lyme bacteria in animals. More recently, these same antibiotics, doxycycline and amoxicillin, were also proven to be unable to kill all of the Lyme bacteria in the lab.

In other words, people treated for Lyme disease based on the Infectious Diseases Society of America treatment guidelines may continue to suffer from symptoms caused by an active infection.

It is reported drugs with the highest activity against Lyme persisters do not work against the actively growing spirochetes that cause Lyme disease, according to Lucy Barnes, director of Lyme Disease Education and Support Groups of Maryland. This means to kill all of the Lyme bacteria in its various stages a combination of drugs would be necessary for an undetermined length of time.

The good news? A follow up study published by Johns Hopkins confirmed eradication of the Lyme bacteria in the lab was achieved using a combination of three drugs — daptomycin, cefoperazone and doxycycline.

People with Lyme disease who experience symptoms after standard treatment now have a legitimate reason for their complaints, an ongoing infection.

Many patients treated by the IDSA’s insurance friendly protocols were mistakenly told they were cured and were denied further treatment even when suffering from continuing, relapsing or worsening symptoms. Many were reported to be malingerers, or were inappropriately referred for mental health counseling, or were prescribed anti-inflammatory medications and told to begin an exercise program, or worse yet, were prescribed steroids to mask their symptoms, rather than receiving appropriate antimicrobial treatment for a chronic, disabling and sometimes life-threatening infectious disease, Barnes said.

With Lyme tests still missing 75 percent of those who are infected, many of these people have since been misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, MS, Parkinson’s, ALS, anxiety, heart conditions, depression, ADD, autism, cancer, arthritis and a host of other conditions with no known cause and no known cure. Chances are good that a new combination of FDA approved drugs already on the market may help those with chronic Lyme and other maladies that mimic the later, more expensive and extensive, disabling stages of Lyme disease, Barnes said.

In light of the new studies, doctors are more likely to treat the disease with a combination of antibiotics, and some are coming to realize their patients are not suffering “relapse” but rather continuing infections.

If you’ve been treated for Lyme disease but are still experiencing symptoms, it would be worth discussing the latest findings with your doctor. With science on your side, a cure may be possible.

Posted in Editorial on Friday, June 5, 2015 3:30 am. | Tags: Opinion, Editorial, Lyme Disease, Antibiotics, Record Observer, Bay Times, Eblast

Bay Times Link Here http://www.myeasternshoremd.com/opinion/queen_annes_county/editorial/article_7bb155fb-0f6e-5053-86e2-ef6af46022fb.html

Star Democrat Link Here http://www.stardem.com/opinion/editorials/article_2c9739d3-3917-5db8-a2ac-a34373d2c1b5.html