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Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease
Diagnosis Overview
Complexity of Lyme symptom presentation
The growing number of infectious diseases carried by ticks; the emergence of new vector-borne diseases; the unreliability of laboratory tests; and the complexity of symptom presentations and variations in each patient make Lyme disease one of the most perplexing and elusive medical conditions to identify.
50% of Lyme patients present with rash
Hallmark signs of the disease aren’t always present. Fewer than 50% of patients notice a bull’s-eye rash, and fewer than 50% of patients recall a tick bite.
Lyme disease diagnosis is challenging
Diagnosing the disease, particularly in later stages, can be challenging for any physician, even the most experienced. The Lyme spirochete are highly adept at evading the immune system, making both detecting the organism through tests and treating the disease difficult.
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Lyme Disease Testing
Often the diagnosis of Lyme disease depends upon the physician’s readiness to listen and ask questions and on the mutual exchange of information, beginning with the initial doctor-patient interview. That said, laboratory tests can be used to support the diagnosis.
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Lyme Disease Treatment
The treatment for chronic Lyme disease is a controversial topic. Physicians who adhere to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) treatment guidelines believe symptoms are due to an active infection and should be treated with antibiotics beyond an arbitrary 30-day period.
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Choosing A Treatment
Lyme disease can become persistent, recurrent, and refractory, even with antibiotic therapy. Therefore, treatment should be prompt and thorough with in-depth follow-up to assess new symptoms and treatment response and to rule out other illnesses.
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