I haven't been around here for a very long time. Mostly because I'm one of those people who got treated with intensive oral abx and believe that I'm cured of Lyme disease. I finished treatment over two years ago and I'm still feeling pretty darn good.
I ran across this press release and thought you all would want to be aware of it.
I know many of you will be unhappy to read this. But nonetheless I thought that you'd want to know that this study is out there.
A guideline developed by the American Academy of Neurology finds conventionally recommended courses of antibiotics are highly effective for treating nervous system Lyme disease. However, there is no compelling evidence that prolonged treatment with antibiotics has any benefit in treating symptoms that persist following standard therapy. The guideline is published May 23, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology�, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Lyme disease, an infectious disease caused by tick-borne bacteria, affects the nervous system in 10 to 15 percent of infected patients.
``While other guidelines exist to help diagnose and treat general Lyme disease, there continues to be considerable controversy and uncertainty about the best approach to treating neuroborreliosis, in which Lyme disease involves the nervous system,'' said lead guideline author John J. Halperin, MD, with Atlantic Health in Summit, NJ, and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.
To develop the guideline, the authors analyzed all available scientific studies on the topic.
The evidence shows that using antibiotics for two to four weeks is highly effective for treating neuroborreliosis. Lyme disease responds well to the intravenous antibiotics penicillin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, and oral doxycycline, and these antibiotics are probably safe and effective when taken for 14 to 28 days by children and adults.
Halperin says other oral antibiotics, such as amoxicillin and cefuroxime axetil, may be alternative treatment options for Lyme disease, but there is not enough supporting evidence to recommend them.
Patients who have received accepted antibiotic regimens for Lyme disease sometimes have persisting symptoms, often referred to as Post-Lyme syndrome (PLS). This guideline states that long-term use of antibiotics does not improve the outcome in people with chronic symptoms after customary treatment of Lyme disease. Specifically, further treatment does not improve overall health quality of life, memory, or depression. Long-term antibiotic use can be associated with such side effects as diarrhea, blood stream infections, and blood clots.
``While it is clear from all available scientific studies that long-term use of antibiotics doesn't help to treat chronic symptoms that persist after treatment for Lyme disease, the symptom complex will remain problematic until we can better understand the cause of these symptoms and find appropriate treatments,'' said Halperin.
The guideline is endorsed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 20,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as epilepsy, dystonia, migraine, Huntington's disease, and dementia.
For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com.
-------------------- Wishing you fast healing and good health! Posts: 109 | From Colorado | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Boy are they getting desperate!!!
Since the IDSA guidelines are under fire.., and hopefully will be burned sometime soon... the little whiney babies got the Neurology idiots to publish another set of Lyme and post-Lyme disease syndrome guidelines.. with some of the original IDSA authors on it... and how nice...
The guideline is endorsed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
They just went from super criminal bad.. to worse.
As I always say...
I'd rather shoot my self in the foot than go to a Neurologist for Lyme disease.
And I'd rather shoot myself in BOTH feet than go to an ID duck!
Oh.. and as one doctor said... and it was NOT a LLMD... just a neurologist I spoke to that I just met...
What about the IDIOT rheumies?
HA!
``````````````````````````````````````````````
Published online before print May 23, 2007 (Neurology 2007, doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000265517.66976.28)
Received December 26, 2006 Accepted March 7, 2007
Practice Parameter: Treatment of nervous system Lyme disease (an evidence-based review). Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology
J. J. Halperin MD, E. D. Shapiro MD, E. Logigian MD, A. L. Belman MD, L. Dotevall MD, G. P. Wormser MD, L. Krupp MD, G. Gronseth MD, and C. T. Bever Jr. MD
From the Department of Neurosciences (J.J.H.), Overlook Hospital, NYU School of Medicine, Summit, NJ; Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Public Health (E.D.S.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Neurology (E.L.), University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, NY; Department of Neurology (A.L.B., L.K.), SUNY, Stony Brook, NY; Department of Infectious Diseases (L.D.), Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Division of Infectious Diseases (G.P.W.), Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla; Department of Neurology (G.G.), University of Kansas Medical Center; and Research Service, VAMHCS, and the Department of Neurology (C.T.B.), University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Abstract Objective: To provide evidence-based recommendations on the treatment of nervous system Lyme disease and post-Lyme syndrome.
Three questions were addressed: 1) Which antimicrobial agents are effective?
2) Are different regimens preferred for different manifestations of nervous system Lyme disease?
3) What duration of therapy is needed? Methods: The authors analyzed published studies (1983-2003) using a structured review process to classify the evidence related to the questions posed.
Results: The panel reviewed 353 abstracts which yielded 112 potentially relevant articles that were reviewed, from which 37 articles were identified that were included in the analysis.
Conclusions: There are sufficient data to conclude that, in both adults and children, this nervous system infection responds well to penicillin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, and doxycycline (Level B recommendation).
Although most studies have used parenteral regimens for neuroborreliosis, several European studies support use of oral doxycycline in adults with meningitis, cranial neuritis, and radiculitis (Level B), reserving parenteral regimens for patients with parenchymal CNS involvement, other severe neurologic symptomatology, or failure to respond to oral regimens.
The number of children (8 years of age) enrolled in rigorous studies of oral vs parenteral regimens has been smaller, making conclusions less statistically compelling.
However, all available data indicate results are comparable to those observed in adults. In contrast, there is no compelling evidence that prolonged treatment with antibiotics has any beneficial effect in post-Lyme syndrome (Level A).
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Oh.. and a Pfiesteria expert too?
Md Med J. 1998 May;47(3):120-3.
Neurologic symptoms following Pfiesteria exposure: case report and literature review.
Bever CT Jr, Grattan L, Morris JG. University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Baltimore, USA.
Although the recently identified dinoflagellate, Pfiesteria piscicida, may have neurotoxic effects on humans, the precise nature of the neurologic symptoms associated with varying levels of exposure is unknown.
Toward this end, we review the neurologic symptoms of three Pfiesteria-exposed laboratory workers reported to data and compare them to the evaluation of an exposed waterman from Maryland.
The occupational exposure of a Maryland waterman appears to produce a mild, reversible encephalopathy which predominantly affects functions associated with the frontal and temporal lobes.
A comprehensive neurologic examination is recommended for all Pfiesteria piscicida and morphologically related organism-exposed, symptomatic persons.
posted
Their website is www.aan.com. Go and read Offspring of IDSA Guidelines and then tell them what you think and what you know about the neurological effects of Lyme and co's. You can call, fax or email comments. I think they need to hear from as many of us as possible.
Posts: 13171 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
| IP: Logged |
Foggy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1584
posted
I'm surprised they didn't add. After IDSA advised abx dose, administer Elail, referal to obligatory shrink & tell the patient they have CFS or Fibro. Posts: 2451 | From Lyme Central | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic