http://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2 ... e-thought/
Snippets:Sep 4, 2015 @ 7:00 AM
Lyme Deaths From Heart Inflammation Likely Worse Than We Thought
by Judy Stone
While an update reported that pathologists at tissue banks retrospectively reviewed reports for 20,000 specimens, finding no additional cases, no mention is made of how thorough the reviews were, nor whether special stains to detect Borrelia were used. Dr. Paul Mead, of the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, CDC, thinks it unlikely that cases were missed, as there are characteristic histologic findings with Lyme carditis. Given how infrequently autopsies are done, and how limited or “defective” they are at times, I’ve little doubt that other cases are missed.
Implications
As I read more and speak with experts, I have more questions and actually feel more muddled at times.
Why don’t some people get better after treatment for Lyme? Is it due to “persister” forms of intracellular bacteria, or those hidden in “sanctuaries” within the body, as we’ve just seen with Ebola hiding in the eye and semen?
Is the problem of ongoing symptoms due to a coinfection with other organisms that are hard to detect or not routinely looked for?
Or is the problem due to an abnormal immune response, triggering an autoimmune illness. One example is the development of meat allergies from certain tick bites.
What is more clear is that the tests that we have for diagnosing Lyme are woefully inadequate and are doing our patients a great disservice.
We desperately need more funding for Lyme surveillance and research. I’ll have more on this dismal state in an upcoming post.
Further, we need to have a broader discussion and willingness to look at alternative explanations as to why many patients have ongoing symptoms after treatment for Lyme, and more inclusive membership on panels that make up treatment guidelines.
