Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, “Serious Bacterial Infections Acquired During Treatment of Patients Given a Diagnosis of Chronic Lyme Disease – United States.” The report describes five cases involving patients who suffered serious adverse medical outcomes from prolonged treatment with antibiotics for what some refer to as chronic Lyme disease, when in fact most of them likely didn’t have Lyme disease.
In developing this paper, CDC’s key objectives are to:
- Raise awareness that the incorrect diagnosis of Lyme disease and treatment with long-term antibiotics can have devastating effects
- Inform patients and health care providers of the risks of long-term and alternative treatments.
- Encourage patients who have an illness with symptoms compatible with Lyme disease to be diagnosed correctly and treated properly as quickly as possible.
Read the full MMWR to learn more.