Lyme Disease Education and Support Groups of Maryland
Press Release
July 27, 2009 – The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Lyme Disease Review Panel will hear testimony from both sides of the Lyme disease debate on Thursday, July 30, 2009, as part of an anti-trust investigation settlement agreement. The open hearing will be in Washington, DC and will be aired live over the internet from 7:40 AM (registration) until 5 PM. The presentation will be archived for one year on www.idsociety.org
The hearing stems from CT Attorney General Blumenthal’s investigation, which uncovered “serious flaws” in the IDSA’s Lyme Disease Guidelines development process in 2008. It was determined the IDSA authors had multiple conflicts of interest and had excluded scientific evidence. In spite of the investigation’s conclusions, the IDSA Lyme Disease Treatment Guidelines continue to be used by a dwindling number of doctors, including some at Johns Hopkins (original home to several IDSA Guidelines authors, editors and spokesmen). They are also heavily relied upon by numerous health insurers as a basis to deny reimbursements.
Scientific evidence refuting IDSA’s theories has been submitted (over 2,000 pages of analysis and research by ILADS alone) and oral summaries will be presented by both sides the day of the hearing. The IDSA adamantly denies persistent infection as a viable reason for the continuing symptoms in chronically ill Lyme patients and states additional antibiotics treatment should not be an option. Other than palliative care, they recommend against any and all treatment options (from vitamins to different classes of antibiotics) stating "chronic Lyme disease" is a misnomer.
The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), American Association of Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), German Society of Lyme Borreliosis and the Lyme Disease Action (UK) are a few groups that have publicly opposed the IDSA’s restrictive treatment guidelines. The Lyme Disease Education and Support Groups of Maryland and the Harford County Lyme Disease Support Group, Inc submitted written testimony supporting a physician’s right to use clinical judgment and patient’s rights to receive adequate treatment. Maryland patients, volunteers and group leaders from across the state have also been active assisting national and state organizations with their ongoing efforts throughout the process.
Contact person: Lucy Barnes, Director AfterTheBite@gmail.com
Lyme Disease Education and Support Groups of Maryland