Contact us at 914-666-4665

Filter posts by category

Lyme Science Blog

How can doctors determine if patients with systemic autoimmune joint disease following Lyme disease don’t have a persistent infection?

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH The patients were prescribed anti-inflammatory therapies, primarily disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). “These treatments included steroids (3%), NSAIDS (20%), disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (57%), most commonly methotrexate, but also TNF-inhibitors, or combinations of these agents,” reported Arvikar. [1] The authors assumed that the persistent Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) infection had been […]

How can doctors determine if patients with systemic autoimmune joint disease following Lyme disease don’t have a persistent infection? Read More »

Quality of Life for Lyme Disease patients in the Netherlands can be grim

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Participants in the PLEASE trial were scored using an SF-36 physical component of Health (PCS) scale. Their PCS scores of 31 to 32 were worse than those of a diabetic and cancer patient. [3] These patients’ PCS scores have been 42 and 41, respectively. While PCS scores have been

Quality of Life for Lyme Disease patients in the Netherlands can be grim Read More »

Steroid use can lead to long-term treatment failure for Lyme disease patients

Physicians are warned of the importance in distinguishing between viral or idiopathic facial paralysis (e.g., Bell’s palsy) from Lyme disease-associated facial palsy. Authors of the study, “Steroid Use in Lyme Disease-Associated Facial Palsy Is Associated With Worse Long-Term Outcomes,” used the term Lyme disease-associated facial palsy (LDFP) rather than Bell’s palsy to highlight the differences

Steroid use can lead to long-term treatment failure for Lyme disease patients Read More »

Women with chronic Lyme disease may suffer from a severe immune response triggered by the disease

According to a study by Wormser and colleagues, from New York Medical College, “Patients with chronic Lyme disease were significantly more likely to be female than were patients diagnosed with either Lyme disease or with post-Lyme disease syndrome.” “This finding,” says Wormser, “suggests that illnesses with a female preponderance, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome,

Women with chronic Lyme disease may suffer from a severe immune response triggered by the disease Read More »

How big is the risk of Lyme disease to your job?

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Doctors from the Tufts University School of Medicine, New England Medical Center described the financial damage Lyme disease caused to 27 individuals with chronic neurologic Lyme disease. “Although most were able to remain employed, three quit their jobs, three decreased their work load to part-time, and two retired earlier,”

How big is the risk of Lyme disease to your job? Read More »

How important are T-cell chemokines in chronic manifestations of Lyme disease?

The study, “CCL19 as a Chemokine Risk Factor for Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome: A Prospective Clinical Cohort Study,” found T-cell chemokines are an important part of the immune response in early Lyme disease (LD). Researchers at Johns Hopkins identified T-cell chemokines CCL19 that rise in early LD then drop to normal in 86% of patients

How important are T-cell chemokines in chronic manifestations of Lyme disease? Read More »

Watch and wait approach does not work for Lyme disease

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Physicians who prescribe no more than a three-week course of antibiotics will typically recommend watchful waiting rather than prescribing additional antibiotic treatment for patients suffering with persistent symptoms. However, two leading research groups have described the dangers in not taking action. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Watch and wait approach does not work for Lyme disease Read More »

Diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi strains may explain treatment failures

by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH Differing genotypes of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) that help explain strain virulence have been described by researchers. [8] Each genotype expresses a different Outer Surface Protein C (OspC) on the surface of the spirochete, each with differing virulence. [7] “We define three categories of major OspC groups: one that is

Diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi strains may explain treatment failures Read More »