Why is Lyme Disease Misdiagnosed so Often?

Lyme disease is a disease that is contracted through contact with ticks. By biting their victim, the tick transfer the bacteria, Spirochete, into the skin and this causes the development of Lyme disease. This disease affects several part of the body and can cause dermatological, rheumatologic, neurologic, and cardiac abnormalities. Because the disease affects so many different systems, it is an easily misdiagnosed disease. Lyme disease is not easily detected by tests because urine or blood tests can give a false negative and some doctors do not believe in the validity of the lab tests used to diagnosis the disease.

Testing for the disease-The Center for Disease Control (CDC), recommends that if a physician believes that a patient has contracted Lyme disease, they should be giving an ELISA test. ELISA stands for enzyme-linked immunoassay. The CDC gives this information about the tests on their website"These tests are designed to be very "sensitive," meaning that almost everyone with Lyme disease, and some people who don't have Lyme disease, will test positive. If the ELISA or IFA is negative, it is highly unlikely that the person has Lyme disease, and no further testing is recommended. If the ELISA or IFA is positive or indeterminate (sometimes called "equivocal"), a second step should be performed to confirm the results". The second step that is suggested is the Western Blot test. This test will rule out a false positive. These tests can be helpful but usually patients are not tested because they are unaware that they were bitten by a tick and the symptoms they have do not necessarily point to Lyme Disease.

Initial Indicators Initially when a victim is bitten, the area around the bite is red and a little swollen. It can look like a "bull's eye" with a red ring around the bite. 1 out 4 people will not have visible signs of a tick bite as per the Medicineweb.com.

A few days after the bite the person will sometimes develop flu like symptoms such as fatigue, headache, and swollen glands. Anxiety and depression can develop at anytime after the bite has occurred.

Secondary Indicators If treatment has not been sought and the disease hasn't been properly diagnosed, the bacteria will continue to spread through out the person's body and additional systems will be impacted. During this stage of the disease, chronic arthritis can occur. The arthritis will start off by affecting a few joints; the knees are the most common area to experience arthritis. A person might feel fatigued and be diagnosed with either chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia.

The most serious consequence of not treating Lyme disease is that the infection can spread to the brain and cause neurologic issues such as: loss of memory, trouble speaking, changes in mood and sleeping patterns. The disease in the advance stages can also cause facial paralysis. Knowing the symptoms of the disease can help in diagnosing this disease. Antibiotics are used to treat the patient. The antibiotics are the most effective in the early stages of the disease. They are less effective if the bacteria has spread through out the body.

Websites consulted:

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/l/lyme_disease/misdiag.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/submenus/sub_lyme.htm