MISLEADING LYME DISEASE FIGURES PHE 2015

Tuesday 24 November 2015

MISLEADING LYME DISEASE FIGURES PHE 2015

Public Health England published the latest figures for

Common animal-associated infections quarterly reports: 2015

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/common-animal-associated-infections-quarterly-reports-2015

Lyme borreliosis (Borrelia burgdorferi) Total cases of positive serology in the first 3 quarters of 2015 = 606

of these 429 were considered to be Acute infections.
Lyme disease (data from the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory, Porton)
'During the third quarter of 2015, a total of 421 cases of laboratory confirmed Lyme disease were reported, compared with 300 during the third quarter of 2014. Of these cases, 340 were acute (including 30 neuroborreliosis) and 81 were past infections. Of the acute cases, 182 were male (aged 2- 90 years, median 46) and 151 were female (aged 1- 93 years, median 51). Gender was unrecorded for seven cases and age was unrecorded for one case.'

'Thirty-four (10%) of the acute cases reported foreign travel. The majority of cases had travelled in Europe (n=24), eight had travelled in the Americas, one had been to the Middle East, and one to the Far East. One hundred and fifty-six acute cases reported an insect bite, of whom 145 specified a tick bite. Sixty-eight cases reported erythema migrans as a presenting symptom.'

These figures leave far more questions than answers. -

PHE refer to cases that were not considered to be acute cases as past infection - that is quite misleading because there is no test used by NHS that can say the infection was a past infection. The normal rules of antibody responses do not always apply with Lyme disease - the immune system shows an undulatory immune response in early disease and has not been researched in late disease, although cases are documented of further IgM spikes in later disease as is found in Relapsing fever Borreliosis.

340 acute cases of which 68 reported erythema migrans ie 20% suggest that maybe rather less than the 60% often quoted of people develop a erythema rash
- but as Lyme Disease Action say in recent tweets
'NB this only lab reports. Aim to reduce this to zero - those with EM should be treated without blood test.'
'% of acute cases sent for a blood test when they have EM ideally = zero. EM Should be treated w'out test.'
'See http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Briefing-for-HoL-debate-Oct-2015.pdf … under "What needs to be done No, 1" Hope it explains.'

Why are doctors sending blood to be tested when patients have presented with an EM rash? - NHS guidance says to treat, testing is not required and is unlikely to be positive in the first few weeks when treatment is necessary to try to prevent further sequale.

Anecdatol reports suggest that many doctors are not prepared to consider treatment unless they have a positive test result and others have been reported to withdraw treatment even with an EM rash because the test result comes back negative, completely contrary to the NHS guidance.

Estimates of actual Lyme Disease cases are considered by CDC and a previous head of Lyme reference unit in Scotland to be 10x that of serological positive cases
http://lookingatlyme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/lyme-disease-cases-soar-in-tayside-but.html

How blind our governments are to the Economic costs of this disease - http://lookingatlyme.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/economic-costs-of-lyme-disease-lessons.html

I posted about the figures in 2011 with information on figures in other European countries to compare how low reported cases in UK are by comparison -why?
http://lookingatlyme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/has-health-protection-agency-once-again.html

also earlier figures http://lookingatlyme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/lyme-disease-increases-again-in-uk.html

and http://lookingatlyme.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/concern-over-increasing-lyme-disease-in.html

No comments:

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

LOOKING AT LYME DISEASE - MSIDS

Tuesday 24 November 2015