Lyme Disease in the Limelight
Lyme Disease in the Limelight
Nov. 27, 2000 (Washington) -- Lyme disease generally does not fit the description of a condition that would make national headlines. After all, the disease is not life threatening, it has been around for more than 100 years, and it can be treated using antibiotics. But the disease has now become instilled in the limelight thanks in large part to an ongoing controversy regarding how the disease should be treated and prevented.
Lyme disease is an infection caused by a microscopic bacterial organism. These microscopic bacteria reside in wild animals but can be transferred to humans and pets through deer ticks. Early symptoms include a rash, headache, fever, fatigue, stiff neck, and muscle aches.
The disease made national headlines in early November when some Lyme experts accused medical boards of improperly targeting doctors in the Northeast -- where most cases are reported -- for disciplinary action. The accusations were based on several investigations and disciplinary actions taken against doctors in that region, who prescribed to their patients a longer course of antibiotics than the generally accepted guidelines.
That dispute will soon be resolved by a NIH study. But the debate itself has now expanded to include a relatively new vaccine called Lymerix, which some doctors believe may be sparking the early onset of rheumatoid arthritis.
"There are so many cases that it is too much to be coincidental," says Andrea Gaito, MD, a rheumatologist in New Jersey, who sees about 20 to 30 cases of Lyme disease each week.
Gaito and some of her colleagues believe that the vaccine may trigger a gene that causes arthritis. In effect, she says, this means people with this gene may suffer from that condition much earlier in life than expected if they receive the Lyme vaccine. As a result, Goti, who also serves as president of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, would like to see doctors stop giving the vaccine in favor of just treating the disease when it occurs.
"I feel the best way to prevent Lyme disease is public education, tick prevention, and the use of tick repellents," she tells WebMD.
Lyme disease is an infection caused by a microscopic bacterial organism. These microscopic bacteria reside in wild animals but can be transferred to humans and pets through deer ticks. Early symptoms include a rash, headache, fever, fatigue, stiff neck, and muscle aches.
The disease made national headlines in early November when some Lyme experts accused medical boards of improperly targeting doctors in the Northeast -- where most cases are reported -- for disciplinary action. The accusations were based on several investigations and disciplinary actions taken against doctors in that region, who prescribed to their patients a longer course of antibiotics than the generally accepted guidelines.
That dispute will soon be resolved by a NIH study. But the debate itself has now expanded to include a relatively new vaccine called Lymerix, which some doctors believe may be sparking the early onset of rheumatoid arthritis.
"There are so many cases that it is too much to be coincidental," says Andrea Gaito, MD, a rheumatologist in New Jersey, who sees about 20 to 30 cases of Lyme disease each week.
Gaito and some of her colleagues believe that the vaccine may trigger a gene that causes arthritis. In effect, she says, this means people with this gene may suffer from that condition much earlier in life than expected if they receive the Lyme vaccine. As a result, Goti, who also serves as president of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, would like to see doctors stop giving the vaccine in favor of just treating the disease when it occurs.
"I feel the best way to prevent Lyme disease is public education, tick prevention, and the use of tick repellents," she tells WebMD.
