Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, is a cause of both localized and systemic infection. The acute infection of the skin has a high rate of bacteremia with approximately 40-50% of patients having positive blood cultures in research studies. The spirochete bacteria has mechanisms to avoid the human immune systems response. When not treated with effective antibiotics in the early phase of infection Lyme disease is associated with chronic infection and late arthritis in 60% of patients.
Antibiotic treatment of Lyme disease is effective in treating the acute physical signs of skin rash and early manifestations of infection. However, patients may continue to report symptoms such as fatigue, pain, and cognitive dysfunction months to years after antibiotic treatment. This persistent illness is known as Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, and is commonly referred to as chronic Lyme disease by patients.
- Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome may affect women differently from men. Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome may trigger a syndrome called fibromyalgia in women more often than in men.
- Lyme blood tests are not useful for diagnosing Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. Early antibiotic treatment may blunt the immune response to infection. Therefore patients with Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome often have negative antibody tests or only positive IgM western blots and negative IgG blots.
A Patient's Perspective: The doctor diagnosed chronic Lyme disease, but many experts say it doesn't exist
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Point: Antibotic Therapy is not the answer for patients with persisting symptoms attributable to Lyme Disease
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Counterpoint: Long-Term Antibiotic Therapy Improves persistent symptoms Associated with Lyme disease
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