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Article: SOME DOCTORS OVERTREAT LYME DISEASE
- Article from:
- Roanoke Times & World News
- Article date:
- October 26, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2005 Roanoke Times & World News. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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In response to your Oct. 11 news article, "Shining a light on Lyme
disease," I would like to shed further light on Lyme disease.
Antibiotic treatment is highly effective for the acute and late
manifestations of Lyme disease, which is caused by the tick-borne
bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. In most patients, symptoms resolve
completely after one course of antibiotic therapy.
After appropriately treated Lyme disease, a very small percentage
of patients continue to have subjective symptoms -- primarily
musculoskeletal pain, neurocognitive difficulties, or fatigue -- this
disabling syndrome is sometimes called chronic Lyme disease or post-
Lyme syndrome.
Because of the substantial morbidity and ...