FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE:
NEW TREATMENT
GUIDELINES FOR LYME DISEASE
WORLD-WIDE STANDARDS EXPECTED
TO SAVE LIVES
Bethesda,
MD January 28, 2004
— The International
Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) has published peer reviewed guidelines for diagnosing and treating Lyme disease, to help
physicians combat the fastest growing vector-borne disease in the United
States. By conservative estimates, hundreds of thousands of US victims alone
may be infected with Lyme every year, yet there is no evidence-based comprehensive
system for diagnosing or treating Lyme disease and there is no “standard
of care” for managing the disease.
The stories of Lyme
sufferers go from sad to tragic. Their symptoms range from headaches,
fatigue and joint pain to the extremes of hallucinations, paralysis and
blindness. The 13-page “evidence-based” guidelines provide physicians
solid direction on which patients to evaluate, which tests to order, which
medications to use and how to address concerns about antibiotic use.
According to ILADS
president, Dr. Steven Phillips “these guidelines will provide physicians
with vital encouragement and validation as well as confidence they’ve
sometimes lacked when trying to detect and treat the disease. Misinformation
and conflicting views have caused inconsistencies and confusion; sometimes
at great costs to patients. ILADS’ guidelines come from some of the
most respected, published and experienced medical experts in the industry.
These guidelines should make a big and positive difference in patients’
lives.”
The need for ILADS
guidelines on Lyme is underscored every week in this country as lawmakers
consider new legislation that would require physicians to become more educated
about how to recognize and treat Lyme. Last Thursday, Connecticut’s
Attorney General and Department of Public Health officials were barraged
with complaints that Lyme disease is too often under-reported and misdiagnosed.
A “patient’s panel” and an overflow audience at the Legislative
Office Building in Hartford was packed with people who expressed their belief
that Lyme is a grossly misunderstood disease that is costing patients their
livelihoods and their health.
ILADS comprises more
than 200 medical experts specializing in the direct treatment of Lyme disease
patients. The ILADS members who created the guidelines include primary care
clinicians, researchers, community health care providers, and patients advocates.
The peer-reviewed guidelines
are being published by the prestigious British-based Future
Drugs.
For
more information and to purchase a copy of the guidelines go to:
ILADS’
website: www.ilads.org
Patients
and medical experts available for interviews
ILADS
thanks Turn the Corner Foundation and the LDA for their non-profit
financial support.
To purchase
the guidelines, you may download
the order form. This requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which
may be obtained by clicking below on the Get Acrobat Reader icon:
| CONTACTS |
|
| Jeffrey
Boynton |
(415) 834–9964 |
| Barbara
Buchman |
(301)
263–1080 |
| Christi
O’Connor |
(415)
883–2491 |
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