Posted by Phillipa on June 15, 2009, at 20:54:03
In reply to Re: Anxiety or Depression can be Lyme Disease ? » bleauberry, posted by Phillipa on June 15, 2009, at 20:34:42
Newsletter. Phillipa
Dear Friends of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center:
"Even though I was treated for Lyme disease, I still have health problems. Could they be related to Lyme disease? What is causing the persistent neurocognitive problems I have after getting Lyme disease?"
These are two common questions we see on the Ask the Doctor feature of our web site. Research carried out by Dr. Fallon and colleagues at the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center addresses these issues. The results of this study are published in this months issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry (Arch Gen Psychiatry 2009;66(5):554-563). Using functional brain imaging technology, Lyme patients with persistent Lyme encephalopathy were compared to healthy controls. We wanted to know whether patients with persistent cognitive complaints after having been treated for Lyme disease have brains that function differently than healthy people. In particular, we wanted to know whether the primary problem is in poor blood flow to areas of the brain (as had been seen in later stages of syphilis) or whether the problem is in diminished brain nerve cell metabolism. The primary result from this study was that the Lyme patients had many areas of decreased brain blood flow and metabolism. However, because the areas of reduced blood flow and metabolism were largely overlapping in location, we concluded that the primary deficit relates to the nerve cell functioning rather than the blood supply. This study confirms that patients with persistent cognitive deficits after getting Lyme disease do indeed have objective functional brain deficits. Future studies need to determine whether these areas of abnormality seen on brain PET imaging can actually distinguish patients with Lyme disease from patients with other neurologic diseases, such as Lupus, HIV encephalopathy, or even Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. If shown to be a specific test that is able to distinguish one disease from another, then this imaging tool will be a useful biomarker of differential diagnosis.
Is it possible to have Lyme disease or to have had it in the past and have a negative blood test?
Yes, it is possible. Even though existing lab tests are informative, no existing test is 100% sensitive (identifying all true cases as positive). It is important that we keep searching for better diagnostic tests. Our future research plans include studies to evaluate several diagnostic Lyme tests in development. We will be going to community sites in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and possibly other states to invite people who have had Lyme recently or have had it in the past and still have symptoms to participate in this study. Please check our web site in the next few months for updates on places and dates.
Also, please visit our web site at www.columbia-lyme.org to view updates on our responses to Ask the Doctor and Recent Lyme and TBD abstracts for current Lyme research. Since Lyme season is upon us, CDCs instructions on tick removal are especially helpful (FAQ #3047).
If you are able, consider joining our community of supporters for Lyme research by making a donation to the Center http://columbia-lyme.org/donate.html.
Your interest in Lyme and tick-borne diseases and the work of our Center is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely
Brian A. Fallon, MD
Director
Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center
Columbia University Medical Center
poster:Phillipa
thread:900949
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090611/msgs/901197.html