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Doctors and patients call for change in Lyme disease diagnosis

Lyme disease is under-diagnosed, but now, doctors and patients are speaking up about a disease that some are calling the next pandemic

Posted: 4:11 PM Feb 10, 2010
Reporter: Maureen McFadden
Email Address: maureen.mcfadden@wndu.com

Some doctors say there is an under-recognized rise in the cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. If caught early, the disease is treatable, but in many cases, patients don't get the characteristic rash at the site of a bite.

Now, patients and doctors are speaking up about a disease that some are calling the next pandemic.

10 years ago, Julie Hutchingson came down with a mysterious set of symptoms, including depression, fatigue, insomnia, vertigo, and tendinitis.

The busy mom went from doctor to doctor, who suggested it could be over 10 different conditions.

"A couple of doctors mentioned HIV, possibly AIDS," says Julie.

After seven years, she finally got a definitive diagnosis -- Lyme disease. The CDC reports about 20,000 cases of Lyme disease have occurred in the U.S. in recent years, but says actual numbers could be up to 10-times that amount.

Some doctors say the root of the under-reporting lies in the blood test.

"The CDC recognizes three strains right now, but there might be 300 strains," says Dr. Michael Cichon, professor at the University of South Florida.

Doctors also disagree on treatment. Dr. Cichon uses I-V antibiotic therapy for four months or longer on some of his patients. The Infectious Diseases Society of America says the long-term treatment carries risks like antibiotic resistance and infection and recommends a shorter course of less than two months, based on three NIH studies.

"All three studies indicated that prolonging antibiotic treatment after 60 days does not seem to have any further effect," says David Balkwill, PhD, and professor of microbiology at UCF College of Medicine.

"The Infectious Diseases Society needs to stop their guidelines, make them just recommendations," says Dr. Cichon.

One thing most agree on is that change needs to happen.

Julie underwent long-term antibiotic therapy. She hopes to save others from the unanswered questions that troubled her for years.

Besides a rash at the site of a tick bite, symptoms to watch out for include joint pain that migrates from one joint to another, fever, chills, fatigue and body aches.

To better understand how Lyme disease spreads, the National Science Foundation recently awarded a four-year, $2.5 million grant to scientists at five U.S. universities

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