Jury is still out on the IDSA Guidelines

Response of Lyme Disease Action to “HPA Statement on IDSA Guidelines on Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment.”

Lyme Disease Action would caution anyone who wishes to understand the situation as regards the recent investigation into the IDSA Guidelines to return to the source information as provided by the investigator, the Attorney General of Connecticut, and not to rely solely on statements from IDSA or from the HPA.

The Attorney General of Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, acting in the public interest, published the results of his investigation on 1st May 2008. Information on this legal process is available on the Attorney General’s own website at the following link:

http://www.ct.gov/ag/cwp/view.asp?A=2795&Q=414284 <http://www.ct.gov/ag/cwp/view.asp?A=2795&Q=414284>

Reading the Attorney General’s information verbatim makes it clear that the issue of whether or not the IDSA Guidelines could be relied upon as soundly based in all relevant science could not be determined owing to procedural irregularities.

The IDSA have given certain undertakings in order to reach an agreement with the Attorney General that enables a way forward. These undertakings, which are enshrined in the agreement, include the appointment of an ombudsman and a new panel to undertake a complete review of the Guidelines. The review process must include an open hearing in which previously unconsidered medical and scientific information about Lyme disease will be presented. This hearing must be broadcast live on the internet via the IDSA website. Until these steps have been carried out, the standing of these Guidelines remains open to question.

The HPA is on record as promoting the IDSA Guidelines for use in the UK and it is therefore disappointing that they have not acknowledged these serious strictures upon a set of US guidelines that they are currently placing complete reliance upon.

Lyme Disease Action is on record as advocating that medical guidelines specific to the UK should be drawn up for use here in the UK.

HPA Statement of 16th June 2008 can be found here:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1213603246853 <http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1213603246853>