Wednesday 25 January 2012

LYME DISEASE INCREASING IN THE UK - UNDER THE RADAR

Estimating Lyme disease risk using pet dogs as sentinels.

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. 2012 Jan 16. [Epub ahead of print]

Estimating Lyme disease risk using pet dogs as sentinels.

Smith FD, Ballantyne R, Morgan ER, Wall R.

Source

School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, UK.

Abstract

The reported number of cases of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, is thought to have increased in the UK over the past decade, but consistent surveillance data are lacking. Here the prevalence of B. burgdorferi in ticks attached to pet dogs was examined - using them as sentinels for human disease risk. Dogs give a good indication of the exposure of their human owners to infected ticks, since they largely share the same environment and visit the same outdoor areas. PCR was used to test 739 tick samples collected from 3534 dogs selected at random as they visited veterinary practices over a period of six months. Overall, the prevalence of infected ticks on all dogs was 0.5% giving an estimated 481 infected ticks per 100,000 dogs. The data suggest that the prevalence of Borrelia in the UK tick population is considerably higher than most recent estimates indicate.

PMID:: 22257866; [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Full article can be accessed here

Excellent to see this published and lets hope it opens the door to much

needed research here in the UK on not just Lyme Disease but other tick borne

diseases.

Faith Smith presented the earlier stages of her research at Lyme Disease Action conference in 2010

Lyme Disease Action discussing this research with a link to an earlier video interview

with Faith here

BBC discusses the research here

'A spokeswoman from the Health Protection Agency said it was important that people realise the risks and remain "tick aware".

"They are out there in woodland areas." She said it was best to keep to footpaths and avoid long grass where possible when out walking and to cover up the skin.

Also, brush off clothes and pet's coats before returning indoors to remove any unattached ticks that might later seek a feed.'

So how come Doctors are still saying to patients no that can't be Lyme Disease we don't have Lyme Disease here in the UK?

2 comments:

Camp Other25 January 2012 at 20:59
"So how come Doctors are still saying to patients no that can't be Lyme Disease we don't have Lyme Disease here in the UK?"

I've heard the same sort of statement made by doctors here in the US, just substitute a different state or region for "UK".

i think the doctors need to be better educated worldwide. And it should be broadcast far and wide that birds carry these ticks to different locations - not just dogs - thus spreading the areas in which they are found.

If doctors just kept tickborne diseases in mind for any differential diagnosis with overlapping symptoms and threw out the "it doesn't happen in ____" line, we'd all be much better off.
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Joanne26 January 2012 at 10:17
And so say all of us - well those of us who have fund that our health problems are related to Lyme Disease or a tick bite- there must be so many people who do not realise that is the cause of their health problems or that there is treatment that can help them.

As always though the media is slow to run with this - what fools - this must be the biggest medical controversy ever - they could make such a difference to help raise awareness and help prevent people from ending up with chronic health problems by being proactive in the early stages or even by avoiding being bitten in the first place.
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Lyme Life written in 2009

I started suffering with arthritis in mainly my large joints especially my knees 6 years ago. The symptoms varied and I remember saying that every joint was affected except my elbows to one doctor. I was told it would be hormonal and to take the usual supplements cod liver oil or glucosamine ( I would certainly recommend buying shares in the companies producing these supplements) They had no noticeable affect.

All my symptoms deteriorated significantly over a few weeks,4 years ago. Hips shoulders and knees being the worst and I started with muscle weakness in upper arms and upper legs. I had difficulty standing and walking across a room. I was unable to walk upstairs and my husband was making plans to convert to a downstairs bedroom. I had seen 5 doctors and 3 Rheumatologists and put on steroids for Poly Myalgia Rheumatica diagnosis. I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.

I have X rays and scans showing signs of osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. ( later note.- the X rays done some years into treatment showed my hands completely normal no signs of inflammation or RA confirming how they felt - normal) I have been retired early from the Civil Service having lost my job not to mention my earning potential. My illness seemed to progress through my body not affecting the same joints left to right at the same time. I had bursitis in left hip, right hip, left elbow. I had synovial thickening in both wrists. At that time I could not lift and hold a magazine so lifting a kettle I could only do if a third full and with two hands. Each joint in my hands fingers feet and toes were affected. I had swallowing difficulties and many other symptoms. None of this describes the endless and awful pain whenever I moved or the tiredness but inability to get quality sleep.

Two years ago my GP gave me Amoxicilin for a sinus/throat/chest infection. All my arthritis symptoms improved. The course ended the symptoms deteriorated I started a second course the symptoms improved. The improvement was more significant than when I had started taking steroids. This led my GP to suspect Lyme Disease. I laughed because we do not travel abroad but she said they had had other cases in the surgery in the early stages of tick bite and Erythma Migrans rash. She said but you have not had a bite. I said oh yes I have I had two on my ankles with rashes, March 05 this was confirmed on her computer when I had seen a locum doctor. My worst symptoms were waking up feeling rigid and having to painfully flex every joint in my body before struggling to get up. The only other time I had experienced this was in May 2003 during a flu like illness like no other I had ever experienced. At that time I had a bite and similar rash on my right foot which lasted like the other rashes about four weeks. I had also consulted the surgery and it was dismissed as a virus. I walked our dog daily in the woods adjacent to our house where the deer roam, prime tick area. Thus started my very lengthy search about Lyme Disease leading me through Lyme Disease Action to a doctor who specialises in this illness. He confirmed my GP's suspicions. I never had a positive blood test but then they are antigen tests and there is much research that shows they are unreliable. In my case the year of steroids and many weeks antibiotics could have affected the results. So with a clinical diagnosis and following ILADS International Lyme and Associated Disease Society guidelines I continued on antibiotics for two years. Both my doctors continued to treat me despite of Health Protection Agency advising against long term antibiotics. I am now nearly 100% recovered I have no pain or muscle weakness. I can walk upstairs something I could not do for three and a half years. I can garden do house work and live a normal life. I still need to pace myself and with only a few months to 60 will not be looking to return to work. Life is such a joy. Sadly there is much controversy about Lyme Disease and doctors in UK are taught that it is so rare. Well where I live in Guildford I have been in contact with a dozen other people with it so perhaps not so rare as HPA would like us to believe. I am in touch with nearly 2000 other patients through a chat line Eurolyme most had been misdiagnosed with several other illnesses. Look at UK charity Lyme Disease Action if you want to read more about this illness. There are many MP's taking an interest in the problems surrounding diagnosis and treatment see above charity links into a recent meeting at the House of Commons.

Thank goodness there are some thinking doctors around who have courageously treated me against opposition and I have made such a miraculous recovery albeit rather a lengthy one. One day there will be many more people who are helped with their chronic illnesses when IDSA starts taking note of what our courageous LLMD’s are doing following ILADS Guidelines.

ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, Poly Myalgia Rheumatica, Arthritis, Bell’s Palsy, MS,MN, ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Heart Block, Stroke, Psychiatric, gastric problems the list is endless. Not all suffering from Lyme Borrelia but how many are even properly assessed for it.

UPDATE

UPDATE 10 January 2012