Lyme Disease Diagnostic Procedures can 'Test' Patience of Patients: Time for Lyme Founders, Experts Discuss Symptoms and Importance of Early, Accurate Diagnosis

Greenwich, CT (PRWEB) June 2, 2007 Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses are on the rise, particularly here in the Northeast, which is considered

As you can see, diagnosing Lyme Disease is a complicated task. Having ...

Greenwich, CT (PRWEB) June 2, 2007

Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses are on the rise, particularly here in the Northeast, which is considered a high-risk location for Lyme by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Approximately 18,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States - a total that's more than doubled since 1990 - but experts agree that the actual number of people struggling with Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses may be much higher. That's because there is no diagnostic test that provides a patient with a definitive diagnosis for these diseases.

"A diagnosis of Lyme Disease or another tick-borne illness is usually a 'process of elimination' diagnosis, based on both the likelihood of exposure and the ruling out of other conditions that cause the same symptoms," explains Diane Blanchard, co-president and co- founder of Time for Lyme, Inc. - a research, education and advocacy group. "After this process, a series of blood tests is conducted, and the results can confirm only the probability that the patient has been infected with Lyme or another tick-borne illness," Blanchard adds. Time For Lyme and the Lyme Disease Association recently lead the way in endowing the first Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia University Medical in New York City dedicated to the study of chronic Lyme disease.

Symptoms mimic many illnesses

The early stage of Lyme Disease is problematic for doctors, because the symptoms mirror those of hundreds of other illnesses, from fibromyalgia to lupus. "The initial symptoms of Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses include flu-like feelings, headache, stiff neck, fever, muscle aches, and fatigue," says Dr. Brian A. Fallon, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and director of the newly opened Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases Research Center.. "Even the telltale Lyme Disease rash, called erythema migrans (EM), can differ widely from patient to patient," Dr. Fallon adds. For example, some may find a large, spreading "bulls-eye" rash of alternating red and flesh-colored rings, while others may find a small, simple red ring around the bite site. On patients with darker skin, the rash may appear more like a bruise. Complicating matters further, the rash only appears on about 60% of patients, and can take up to a month after infection to appear; the remaining 40% of patients experience little or no skin involvement at all."

"The irony is that early diagnosis is the key to treating Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses in their 'acute' stages, when the disease has not spread throughout the body and antibiotics are most likely to be effective at eradicating the bacteria that causes the illnesses," Dr. Fallon explains. "Yet, because there is not a definitive diagnostic tool for these diseases, it is difficult to obtain an early medical conclusion in patients who do not present with a clear EM rash or an embedded tick," he notes.

The next steps to diagnosis

Once doctors have ruled out other causes for early symptoms, the next step is a series of blood tests designed to determine the probability that Lyme Disease is present. However, the tests cannot provide a definitive diagnosis, because medical science has yet to find a way to identify the actual bacteria (B. burgdorferi) that causes the disease. In fact, one of the primary goals of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center is to focus on identifying a gold-standard test for Lyme. Currently, the tests look for antibodies in the bloodstream that indicate the patient's immune system has been fighting off the B. burgdorferi infection. Two of these "ELISA" (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) tests have been approved to check for these bacteria - the whole cell sonicate ELISA, which has many false positives and negatives, and the C6 Lyme Peptide, which is widely considered the most accurate of the two. "These tests are an important tool for diagnosis," Dr. Fallon says. "However, by the time the patient has built up antibodies, the infection is likely to be in its second disseminated stage, making it a more difficult, often chronic condition to treat."

Once an ELISA test is returned with either a positive or uncertain result, doctors usually perform a second and more accurate blood test called the Western Immunoblot test, or Western blot. In this test, the patient's immune system response is translated to a visual of colored bands and "blots" that indicate whether the B. burgdorferi antibodies are present. Again, however, the test cannot definitively confirm a diagnosis of Lyme or other tick-borne illnesses.

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Commonly question about Lyme Disease Diagnostic Procedures can 'Test' Patience of Patients: Time for Lyme Founders, Experts Discuss Symptoms and Importance of Early, Accurate Diagnosis

Question :

Why isn t there a working Vaccine for Lyme s Disease yet?

I know there was one that was being worked on, which is why the CDC had to write down very rigid (and only moderately accurate) guidelines for their Lyme diagnostic procedures, in order to quantify an illusive illness. It mimics Chronic Fatigue syndrome, FMS, even Alzheimers and Parkinson s-- and yet, when the original vaccine was found to _give_ people Lyme s instead of prevent it (oops, scary!), it was shelved and nothing more came of that. Yes, I have a vested interest- I have Lyme s disease, my children have it (passed through my womb when I was pregnant and undiagnosed). My continuing research scares me- Lyme s is often underestimated and standard tests can be inaccurate or, worse, falsely negative, leaving undiagnosed people in pain and untreated for years or even decades. I was sick for sixteen years before I got a positive western blot, not uncommon for folks who who have chronic Lyme. (BTW, I got sick in the 80 s in SC, not a "Lyme State")

Answer :
There was a vaccine until about Spring 2002. It was called LYMErix but was discontinued due to very low sales and possible ineffectiveness. I guess it wasn t popular enough with doctors!

Source(s):

www.pharmacistletter.com