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No 1131517
There is evidence of a widespread lack of awareness of Lyme disease. UK GPs don’t recognise the rash and think Lyme doesn’t occur in their area; Consultants don’t recognise the symptoms and the Lyme Reference Unit (at Southampton) relies on the tests but doesn’t seem to apply them correctly and never sees the patient.
Although awareness amongst patients is increasing, this is no good unless clinicians are also aware because if you open the floodgates then primary and secondary care will become swamped and will be seen to be failing.
What are the consequences of this lack of knowledge? Patient distress, cost to the State and patients buying antibiotics on the internet. All this damages the reputation of the NHS. [1]
Stella quoted a recent discussion with a vet who knows how difficult Lyme disease can be. Because vets know it works, they are treating donkeys at the local donkey sanctuary with long term high dose antibiotics. Donkeys!
Spirochetes may "love the brain to death"
"Chronic infection of the brain is a prominent feature of spirochetal infections. These include syphilis, caused by Treponema pallidum; Relapsing Fever, caused by different Borrelia species worldwide; and Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi in Europe and North America. The word "spirochete" comes from the characteristic spiral morphology of these bacteria under the microscope. Lyme disease and relapsing fever are transmitted to humans by ticks in endemic areas, while syphilis is sexually transmitted.
As early as 1822, dementia was recognized as a prominent complication of syphilis. Soon it became apparent that multiple other neurological complications could occur. Examination of the brain revealed the presence of spirochetes, in cases of dementia 20 to 30 years after the initial infection.
As with Treponema pallidum in syphilis, chronic brain infection is also prominent with the relapsing fever spirochetes. During relapsing fever, patients have recurrent periods of fever separated by periods of well being. The fever is caused by the presence of large numbers of spirochetes in the blood. Studies in relapsing fever showed that, like in syphilis, the brain could remain infected with spirochetes for years after the infection disappears from the blood.
In the earlier 1980's, Lyme disease was identified as a previously unrecognized spirochetal
infection with prominent neurological manifestations. These include headache and
stiff neck from meningitis, back pain and weakness from radiculitis, paralysis of
the face, and problems with attention and concentration. Lyme disease is today the
most common vector-
Although spirochetal infections are readily treatable with antibiotics, severe and permanent neurological damage can occur if they go undiagnosed or if the treatment is inadequate or delayed. Studies with Treponema pallidum and Lyme disease spirochetes are limited because of the paucity of animal models featuring neurological infection.
In contrast, several animal models of relapsing fever show prominent neurological infection. The majority of research has been done in laboratory mice infected with a strain of relapsing fever spirochetes from South Western United States. The data indicates that not all spirochetes are equally capable of entering into the brain. The antibody response to the infection is critical for elimination of infection from the brain.
The localization of spirochetes in the brain is mainly in the membranes covering
it, known as the leptomeninges. Spirochetes are also found in the brain tissue itself,
although in much lower numbers. Infection of the inner ear results in prominent vertigo.
Different serotypes vary in their ability to infect the brain. The main route of
entry into the brain appears to be the blood-
Spirochetal entry into the brain results in infiltration of the brain tissue by large numbers of inflammatory cells, known as microglia, and increased statement of inflammatory molecules, like Interleukin 6. We are currently investigating whether chronic inflammation could result in damage to brain cells and in neurological disease.
Using monkeys infected with Lyme disease spirochetes, we confirmed that the localization
of spirochetes in the brain is leptomeningeal. In this monkey model of Lyme disease,
the number of spirochetes in the brain is very low compared with peripheral tissues
like the heart or skeletal muscle, even in immunosuppressed animals. About 10% of
infected monkeys examined 4-
Source
Lyme and Brain Effects:
101st General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, [ASM], May 20-
Spirochetes may "love the brain to death" (Session 179)
By Dr. Diego Cadavid, Medical School of The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in Newark, with funding to Dr. Cadavid from the Foundation of UMDNJ and the Hispanic Center of Excellence at UMDNJ.
UMDNJ-
Newark, NJ
973-
Lyme Disease Epidemic Causing Healthcare Crisis -
Under Our Skin Documentary Reveals Impact of Lyme Disease on Patients and Physicians
An ongoing battle over the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, a tick-
Transmitted through the bite of a tick, the number of Lyme disease cases in the United
States has doubled since 1991-
Tens of thousands of people suffer from what they say are the debilitating effects
of chronic Lyme disease, which can lead to lifelong disabilities or even death. Yet
many doctors deny that such a disease even exists, and doctors willing to treat it
using long-
The award-
The implications are staggering. Irwin Vanderhoof, PhD professor at the New York University Stern School of Business, in 1993 estimated that Lyme disease cost society nearly $1 billion per year. That estimate has since skyrocketed to about $2 billion per year, including diagnosis, treatment, and lost wages, according to Contingencies, an actuarial trade publication for the insurance industry.
"Given the CDC's admitted underreporting bias, the ultimate cost to society may prove
to be even more alarming," said Dr. Joseph Jemsek, a Charlotte-
In a landmark prosecution announced last year, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal brought charges against the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) for abuse of Lyme disease treatment guidelines and conflicts of interest for guideline committee members. In response, the IDSA agreed to restructure its committee and revise its controversial Lyme Disease Guidelines. Meanwhile, as shown in Under Our Skin, patients continue to suffer through misdiagnosis while seeking treatment for a disease they're often told is just in their heads.
Source -
1. A Seminar in the Grand Committee Room, House of Commons, 10th November 2008 at 2 pm. Evidence for Change pdf file
2. http://www.personalconsult.com/articles/lymeandbraineffects.html
Mrs Stella Huyshe-