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Lyme Disease Patient Outcomes and Experiences; A Retrospective Cohort Study
Abstract
Lyme disease is a vector-borne illness caused by Borrelia spp. bacterium spread by ticks to humans and other mammals. Despite being prevalent in many regions of the world, there remains considerable uncertainty surrounding many aspects of the disease, and consensus on the most appropriate and effective means of treating the illness remains to be achieved. Recommendations published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), the primary guidelines followed by health care professionals treating Lyme disease, diverge in many of their key recommendations, including treatment duration. Given this lack of consensus, surprisingly little research has been conducted on patient outcomes following different treatment approaches. In this study, patient outcomes were evaluated from a cohort of 210 Canadian Lyme disease patients seeking treatment at one US Lyme disease clinic following a treatment regimen conforming to the ILADS treatment guidelines. It was found that the majority of Lyme disease patients at the clinic responded positively to treatment and a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in symptoms was observed over time. This study, along with related studies, may help to guide physicians to provide their patients with the most effective care.
This seems to be a very valuable study. Here is something I have often wondered about: there is a disagreement over whether the Lyme bacteria are actually still in the body of a person with chronic Lyme—so why don’t they do some autopsies and find out? The results would be indisputable.
I am not sure of the legalities, but generally autopsies are o my done j see certain circumstances – when the cause of death is unclear or there are criminal circumstances…. (?).
Only a very few deceased are actually autopsied, so unless a person has registered for a specific study, the likelihood of this happening is low.
Autopsies are rare, very expensive and we would need a number of them that would have to be organized into proper research. Proving that Borrelia caused the deaths might be problematic in many cases and rejected by the powers that be. Heart attacks causing death from Bb would be an easier target.
Dogma promoted by the CDC/ IDSA/ AMMI [Canada] and believed by 90%-95% of medical practitioners: Lyme disease is difficult to acquire, easy to diagnose, readily cured with a short course of antibiotics. If a patient has symptoms following treatment either initial diagnosis was wrong or they have Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome [PTLDS] since there is no such thing as chronic Lyme disease.
AMMI, IDSA, PHAC, CIHR the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network etc. speak with one voice on the Lyme disease file but that does not make them scientifically correct. They don’t have to prove anything, just raise a sufficient amount of doubt. These are tactics learned from the pioneering work of the fossil fuel and tobacco industries and the “Merchants of Doubt”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchants_of_Doubt
They have done the autopsy on primates (a well recognized animal model for human) and found you kill the animal before you kill the bacteria.
There is no test to prove a “cure” so all such declarations are magical thinking.
The Lyme vaccine trial proved that 36% of culture positive patients remain seronegative for the life of the patients disease.
So, if they think a negative test proves cure …. bullshit! we need a better test!