Top 8 Shocking Facts About Lyme Disease

1. Top 8 Shocking Facts About Lyme Disease Dr. Peter Dobie

2. Lyme disease affects millions of people around the world. Still, we have little knowledge about this disease. Here are some scary facts about Lyme disease.

3. The Classic Bull's Eye Rash Is Developed By Only 1 In Every 2 Patients • This statement is creepy enough because it clearly states that a person has a 50% chance of not getting diagnosed correctly after a tick bite. Almost 70% people who are suffering from Lyme disease have no memory of being bitten by a tick.

4. General Blood Testing Done For Lyme Disease Has An Approx Sensitivity Of Less Than 50% • So, this statement implies that diagnosis performed by the current antibody serology has 50-50% chance of giving the right results. There are laws in the USA (not in Australia) which states a doctor has to inform the patients that a negative result does not mean he/she do not have Lyme disease.

5. Majority Of Ticks Carry Pathogens That Cause Multiple Disease Called Co-Infections • Up to 30 different types of pathogens can be hosted by a tick. Mycoplasma, Bartonella, Babesia, Anaplasma /Ehrlichia and many more are some of the species which are not tested frequently. A large number of these co-infections don’t respond to Doxycycline (standard Lyme treatment).

6. A Person Suffering From Lyme Disease Might Take Almost 2 To 3 Years To Get Diagnosed Properly • Isn’t that an alarmingly lot of time for pathogens to get comfortable in a person’s body? This late diagnosis makes Lyme disease becoming chronic and treatment provided in late stage increases the risk of treatment failure.

7. More Than 300 Different Types Of Symptoms Can Be Caused By Lyme Disease • A wide range of symptoms can be produced and multiple body systems can be affected by Lyme disease pathogens. The symptoms of Lyme disease are so diverse that in most of the cases, doctor fail to diagnose the problem correctly.

8. Bacterium Of Lyme Disease Has The Ability To Withstand Short-Term Antibiotic Treatment • A 2 to 4 week course of oral antibiotics is often recommended by majority of expert doctors for Lyme disease treatment. However, there’s no surety that this treatment will eliminate all the pathogens. Latest research shows that these pathogens evade destruction by antibiotics and are highly adaptable.

9. Tick Bites Might Not Be The Only Reason Behind Transmission Of Lyme Disease • Fleas, mites, and mosquitoes might also carry and transmit Lyme disease, apart from ticks. The disease is not only vector-borne because some theories have even indicated that transmission can occur by contact with saliva, food, blood and breast milk.

10. Standard Serology Test Only For One Out Of 12 Strains Of Borrelia That Causes Lyme Disease • Borrelia agent is known to cause Lyme disease and it has many strains that cause various types of symptoms. Right now, blood test only searches for a single laboratory strain, which increases the possibility that the patient might go undiagnosed for a less known strain.

11. Address: Pymble Grove Health Centre, 11/924 Pacific Highway, Gordon 2072, Sydney (Australia) Email: info@drpeterdobie.com Telephone: (02) 9418 1388 Fax: (02) 9418 1418 http://drpeterdobie.com/