Thursday, December 21, 2023

Challenges in Diagnosing and Treating Chronic Lyme Disease





Chronic aches and pains, brain fog, and a series of other physiological and psychological symptoms may be the result of undiagnosed Lyme disease. This infection, caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, can be difficult to diagnose and treat because standard tests, like Elisa and Western Blot are dependent on the patient’s immune response for accurate diagnosis of the disease.


However, if the patient’s immune system is compromised, which is common in the later stages, Lyme disease often remains undetected. The lack of Lyme literate doctors in the country further adds to the challenges, as many healthcare providers do not even suspect Lyme if patients do not report a “bull’s eye” rash, called Erythema Migrans, which typically appears within a few days of the tick bite.


Even if they do suspect Lyme and tests also show positive results, standard treatment for Lyme disease generally includes oral antibiotics, such as amoxicillin and doxycycline, prescribed for anywhere between 10 to 21 days. However, oral antibiotics may not always be effective especially when the Lyme bacteria penetrates through the blood brain barrier and impacts the central nervous system, leading to symptoms like brain fog, sensitivities to light or sound, extreme fatigue, and other neurological and psychological symptoms. These functional limitations may curtail the ability to work productively or live a normal life, resulting in isolation and loss of social identity for several patients who are helplessly waiting to receive an accurate diagnosis and treatment!


To overcome these challenges, Envita Medical Centers, a Center of Excellence for Lyme disease treatment, utilizes advanced NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) tests, which helps in direct detection of the Lyme bacteria without having to depend on the patient’s immune system response to it. Lyme disease is often associated with accompanying viral, bacterial, and fungal co-infections, leading to Chronic Lyme Disease Complex.

Chronic Lyme Disease Complex differs from Post-Lyme Disease Syndrome (also known as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), which is defined by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) as symptoms of pain, fatigue, or difficulty thinking that lasts for more than 6 months after treatment completion. However, symptoms may continue to persist if its root causes are not precision-targeted adequately.


Each individual patient may be affected by a unique set of infections, leading to varying symptoms in Lyme disease patients. To address these issues, patients need customized treatment protocols including personalized medications. Envita’s proprietary treatments like IRAD (Insulin Receptor Antibiotic Delivery) and other personalized medications are designed to not only penetrate the blood brain barrier and impact the lurking infections, but it also aims to address the unique sets of infectious loads in each individual Lyme disease patient.


Lyme disease patients need precision-targeted care, which is custom-developed to not only attack the infections, but also strengthen their immune system for a holistic recovery from this chronic disease.

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