Why do we need this?
“I was taken into hospital feeling really ill with a huge bullseye type rash… one doc that came around the ward even said it cant be Lyme because we don’t have it in this country.”
“I am told because my daughter has no rash she cannot be infected.”
“one [doctor] said that I couldn’t have been bitten by a tick because I didn’t go anywhere in a forest.”
“my Dr would not confirm a Lyme diagnosis without a positive result even though I had a tick bite, a classic EM rash and continued symptoms”
“One consultant told me there were no ticks in the UK so I couldn’t possibly have Lyme!”
All these statements are wrong, yet we hear many accounts of doctors confidently making claims like this. We don’t necessarily blame doctors for this. Most try to do their best for their patients, but if they are not given the up-to-date and accurate information they need, they cannot be expected to know how to treat Lyme patients.
“The actual doctor I saw, although helpful, knew almost nothing about the disease and just googled it when I came in the room.”
“I was bitten last year in the Lake District, since then have had EM rash twice which my GP was totally unfamiliar with.”
Some doctors will at least admit they don’t know very much, and we applaud those who take the time to look at the evidence for themselves.
If doctors know so little then what chance does the public have? We have to be realistic about this, and we don’t expect everyone to be an expert on tick-borne illness. Nevertheless, anyone who goes into the outdoors for work or play needs to have at least a basic awareness of the dangers ticks can pose.
What can we do about it?
LDA already holds an annual medical conference where doctors and other interested people are encouraged to attend. We print and distribute thousands of carefully researched leaflets. We talk to the press, and give talks to local councils, walking groups, government agencies and anyone else who takes an interest.
Creating guidelines will, inevitably, take some time. Without prejudice to the outcome of any guidelines process, information should be sent urgently to every GP to acknowledge that:
- Lyme disease is present across the UK.
- Early clinical diagnosis is important and a typical rash or tick exposure with typical symptoms should be treated immediately. Testing at this stage is unlikely to be useful, and treatment should not be delayed pending the outcome of tests.
- Testing is more useful in later illness, but a negative test alone should not be used to rule out the diagnosis at any stage. Lyme disease frequently presents with a wide range of concurrent symptoms, so the overall symptom picture must form part of the diagnosis.
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