All Posts Tagged With: "Lyme"

FOR THOSE INTERESTED in the Lyme communities well-being please join us in supporting the IOM Lyme Disease workshop.  WE MUST begin somewhere by coming forth as an objective working “team” who want help for those suffering with this horrific disease.  Will it work?  We don’t know, but it shows good faith that we are willing to work together to find the much needed answers.  Lymies need to UNITE and begin working together and stop the inter-bickering that has gone on for the 10 years I have been around.  The organizations and individual listed below are willing to give it a try and support our presenters.  Please share this message with all you know.

Regards,

Linda Heming      

CHOICE=Consumers of Healthcare Options with Independence Choice and Experience                       

LymeAngl@aol.com

September 23, 2010

Dear Lyme Community:

As you know, some Lyme advocates have chosen to pull out of the IOM Lyme Disease workshop http://www.iom.edu/Activities/Disease/TickBorne.aspx. They are legitimately concerned that the agenda is heavily biased against the patients’ interest.  We respect their concerns and their decision to pull out of the workshop.  However, upon careful consideration, we have decided to participate in the IOM workshop to represent the Lyme patient’s perspective and show support for our presenters.  While we have our own reservations, we are working hard to improve the agenda.

Here are some facts and thoughts to consider in making your own decision:

1)  The IOM Lyme workshop is not a forum to debate whose science is right or wrong.  It is, rather, an assessment of the state of the science as presented from all points of view, for the purpose of determining the science and research still needed.  This workshop is not designed to draw conclusions, but to determine where future research needs to go.

2)  If Lyme patients and Lyme doctors fail to participate, the only perspective presented will be that of the IDSA.  If our Lyme doctors and advocates don’t participate, the committee can’t include them in the record and it will appear in the report as if we don’t exist or care.

3)  The IOM committee will accept comments for the record up to 3 or 4 days after the workshop.  If you don’t know what was said at the workshop, you cannot draw intelligent comments.

4)  Clinicians will have a microphone reserved solely for their use, with extra time allocated to their questions or comments which will be included in the final report. Lyme doctor participation is critical or the IDSA clinicians will be the only ones at the microphone and on record.

5)  A Congressman worked hard for the appropriation to fund this project. Abandoning this workshop is abandoning him, and will compromise his future ability to argue successfully for Lyme patients in Congress. This Representative needs Lyme community support at this workshop. We cannot “burn our Congressional bridges” with the very people who are critical to our cause.

6)  When you withdraw from the Washington process, you won’t be asked back again. Each time this happens, we lose our ability to be taken seriously.  History shows that progress is made when we work within the system, not when we abandon it. Admittedly, it is by nature, a long and arduous process.

Bottom line: the workshop will proceed with or without our community; without representation we concede to the IDSA.  We can’t let that happen!  If the situation warrants it, there will be time to write a minority report.

Please attend this workshop and explain your views on the gaps in science and the research you think is needed.  For example, the gaps in diagnosis that caused your disease to go unrecognized; the lack of uniformity in approaches of the states; the problem of underreporting; the unreliability of testing and the other issues you believe should be addressed by the science.

Thank you,

Excerpt:

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS:: The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate the typical cost of asymmetrical sensorineural hearing loss (ASNHL) work-up, and to compare the positive predictive value from this common presenting symptom. STUDY DESIGN:: Retrospective chart review from two major otolaryngology centers. METHODS:: We reviewed charts from patients presenting to New York Eye and Ear Infirmary between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2006, and the University of Minnesota between December 1, 2002 and November 30, 2007 with ASNHL. Diagnostic information included magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and serum laboratory values (antinuclear antibodies, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Lyme, rapid plasma reagin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone). We calculated positive rate according to each item of diagnosis. To estimate cost-benefit, we further calculated the average cost for identifying a patient with a positive result. 

CONCLUSIONS:: A comprehensive ASNHL work-up may not be applicable to all patients. Laboratory serologic tests are highly cost effective in diagnosing treatable causes of ASNHL, such as syphilis and Lyme. Although radiographic imaging with MRI is not as cost effective, its value in detecting for acoustic neuroma is undeniable. Laryngoscope, 2010.

More proof that autoimmune disease patients have chronic infections that are not widely recognized; this time we are talking about TB!

Garry F. Gordon MD,DO,MD(H)
President, Gordon Research Institute
www.gordonresearch.com

Full article: http://erj.ersjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/33/3/586

Excerpt:

Screening for active tuberculosis (TB) and latent TB infection (LTBI) is mandatory prior to the initiation of tumour necrosis factor-  inhibitor therapy. However, no agreement exists on the best strategy for detecting LTBI in this population. The aim of the present study was to analyse the performance of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON®-TB Gold in-tube (QFT-GIT) on LTBI detection in subjects with immunomediated inflammatory diseases (IMID).

The TST and QFT-GIT were prospectively performed in 398 consecutive IMID subjects, 310 (78%) on immunosuppressive therapy and only 16 (4%) had been bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccinated.

Indeterminate results to QFT-GIT were found in five (1.2%) subjects. Overall, 74 (19%) out of 393 subjects were TST-positive and 52 (13%) were QFT-GIT-positive. Concordance between TST and QFT-GIT results was good (87.7%): 13 were QFT-GIT-positive/TST-negative and 35 QFT-GIT-negative/TST-positive. By multivariate analysis both tests were significantly associated with older age. Only the TST was associated with BCG vaccination and radiological lesions of past TB. Use of immunosuppressive drugs differently modulated QFT-GIT or TST scoring.

Excerpt:

A 56-year-old woman was referred to our department for an
eruption on the front side of the left thigh present for 6 months,
accompanied more recently by arthralgia and localized subjective
neurological symptoms.
The eruption started a few days after an insect bite by a red papule which secondarily enlarged.
The erythema was of variable intensity. Clinical examination revealed
peripilar red papules of the thigh from the groin to the knee( fig. 1 ).
The patient had no remarkable contralateral keratosis pilaris.

Full article: http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=000209229

Are you sick and tired?  My FIGHT4YOURHEALTH program can change your life even if you think LYME is your only problem. Learn more and become vibrantly healthy again.

Garry F. Gordon MD,DO,MD(H)
President, Gordon Research Institute
www.gordonresearch.com

Full article: http://bolenreport.com/feature_articles/feature_article072.htm

Excerpt:

Most people battling chronic Lyme disease think of the illness as an infection caused by a bacterium known commonly as Borrelia Burgdorferi, generally transmitted via the bite of an infected tick.  What many don’t recognize, however, is that recovery from chronic Lyme disease requires a recognition that the disease is truly a much more complex illness.  Recovery often challenges one to consider more than just infection as the single causative agent involved in the disease process.  It is through looking beyond the infectious component of Lyme disease and understanding the equally important aspects of damaging heavy metals and other toxic insults that a more full and lasting recovery may be realized.

Garry F. Gordon MD, DO, MD (H) co-founded the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) and serves as the President of Gordon Research Institute.  Dr. Gordon graciously spent a couple of hours with me sharing his views on chronic Lyme disease and those factors that are important in recovering from chronic illness. 

Dr. Gordon acknowledges Lyme disease as a serious infection which can lead to a wide-variety of health challenges.  He does not, however, hyperfocus on the specific tick-borne pathogens which cause the disease.  He instead believes that a multitude of infections are prevalent in anyone with chronic ill health.  In addition to these numerous infections, our state of health is closely tied to our total body burden of endogenous and exogenous toxins.  When looking at why illness is present, it is important to look at a number of factors including genetics, chronic infections, and total body burden of heavy metals and other toxins.

Peering into one’s genetic makeup can be quite helpful when establishing the proper course of action and considering what factors may have contributed to one’s state of health.  The more precisely a practitioner can understand the genetic contributors, the more accurately a treatment protocol can be outlined to fit a person’s unique needs.  As an example, a specific gene mutation can suggest an inability of the body to remove toxic heavy metals.  Thus, even tests performed to determine whether or not one is heavy metal toxic can be incorrect if the metals are not being released due to this specific genetic profile.  Where many doctors may miss a heavy metal toxicity issue in these patients, a practitioner incorporating a genetic review into their diagnostic workup is much better equipped to evaluate the potential impact of toxic metals on the overall state of health.

Full article: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/303/21/2132?etoc

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is the most common arbovirus transmitted by ticks in Europe. Approximately 10,000 cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) are reported annually in Europe and Russia.¹ Although TBE is endemic in parts of China, information regarding its incidence is limited.^1–2 TBEV is closely related to Powassan virus (POWV), another tick-borne flavivirus that is a rare cause of encephalitis in North America and Russia; TBEV and POWV can cross-react in serologic tests.^3–4 Before 2000, two cases of TBE in North American travelers to Europe were reported.^5–6 State health officials or clinicians send specimens from patients with unexplained encephalitis to CDC as part of routine surveillance and diagnostic testing. CDC recently reviewed all 2000-2009 laboratory records to identifycases of TBE among U.S. travelers; the five cases identified are summarized in this report. All five cases had TBEV or POWV immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in serum and were confirmed as acute TBE cases by plaque-reduction neutralization tests against both viruses. All four patients who had traveled to Europe or Russia had biphasic illnesses (a common feature of TBE) and made nearly complete recoveries. The fifth patient, the first reported case of TBE in a U.S. traveler to China, had a monophasic illness with severe encephalitis and neurologic sequelae. Health-care providers should be aware of TBE, should counsel travelers about measures to reduce exposure to tick bites, and should consider the diagnosis of TBE in travelers returning from TBE-endemic countries with meningitis or encephalitis.

Excerpt:

Full article: http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/3/1/42

Excerpt:

Lizards are considered zooprophylactic for almost all Borrelia burgdorferi species, and act as dilution hosts in parts of North America. Whether European lizards significantly reduce the ability of B. burgdorferi to maintain itself in enzootic cycles, and consequently decrease the infection rate of Ixodes ricinus ticks for B. burgdorferi and other tick-borne pathogens in Western Europe is not clear.

Results

Ticks were collected from sand lizards, their habitat (heath) and from the adjacent forest. DNA of tick-borne pathogens was detected by PCR followed by reverse line blotting. Tick densities were measured at all four locations by blanket dragging. Nymphs and adult ticks collected from lizards had a significantly lower (1.4%) prevalence of B. burgdorferi sensu lato, compared to questing ticks in heath (24%) or forest (19%). The prevalence of Rickettsia helvetica was significantly higher in ticks from lizards (19%) than those from woodland (10%) whereas neither was significantly different from the prevalence in ticks from heather (15%). The prevalence of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia spp in heather (12%) and forest (14%) were comparable, but significantly lower in ticks from sand lizards (5.4%). The prevalence of Babesia spp in ticks varied between 0 and 5.3 %. Tick load of lizards ranged from 1 – 16. Tick densities were ~ 5-fold lower in the heather areas than in woodlands at all four sites.

Excerpt:

The laboratory diagnosis of early disseminated Lyme borreliosis
(LB) rests on IgM and IgG antibodies in serum. The purpose of
this study was to refine the statistical interpretation of IgM
and IgG by combining the diagnostic evidence provided by the two
immunoglobulins and exploiting the whole range of the
quantitative variation in test values. ELISA assays based on
purified flagella antigen were performed on sera from 815 healthy
Danish blood donors as negative controls and 117 consecutive
patients with confirmed neuroborreliosis (NB).

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20402677&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

OBJECTIVE: We report an extremely rare case of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis due to subclinical Lyme borreliosis. METHOD: Case report presenting a 15-year-old girl referred with hoarseness and soft voice. RESULTS: Right-sided recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis was observed using videolaryngoscopy. Imaging was used to exclude intracranial, cervical and intrathoracic embryological lesions, vascular malformations and tumours. Laboratory and electrophysiological investigations were used to exclude inflammatory and paraneoplastic processes, endocrinopathy and metabolic disorders. Serological testing was positive for Lyme disease. Parenteral ceftriaxone therapy was commenced. The patient’s nerve paralysis showed complete recovery on the seventh day of antibiotic treatment; this was confirmed by videolaryngoscopy. CONCLUSION: Recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis is an extremely rare complication of neuroborreliosis associated with Lyme disease. In patients with recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis in whom the clinical history is uncertain and the usual diagnostic methods give negative results, screening with anti-borrelia immunoglobulin M is suggested.