A study in support of antibiotics to treat chronic LD

[cindy903]

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/516171

Outcomes sort of varied, but the longer one remained on it, the better the results.

[patsy10]

Chronic is active and ongoing.  If you get treated and are still not better or if it comes back then I think it's chronic.  I think the discrepancy is that people are being diagnosed with "post lyme syndrome"  when they really have an ongoing infection.

[wonko]

I know my LLMD treats aggressively, in that he will keep me on abx until at least a month after my symptoms have stopped.

One thing I don't get about the article is the use of the term "Chronic Lyme."  I thought chronic Lyme meant that you already had *some* form of antibiotic therapy (I'm not sure oiff/how the length or details of the treatment are part of the definition), but then you still have Lyme symptoms.  I think it is also disputed if chronic Lyme means you still have an active infection, or if symptoms remain after infection (Post Lyme syndrome?)

The study doesn't mention previous treatment as an inclusion criterion.  It does say that patients symptoms needed to be >3 months.

Anyway, if anyone can clear up the definitions of "chronic Lyme" and "post Lyme syndrome," I'd appreciate it.  I've been sick for over 1.5 years, but I didn't think that made me a chronic case because I just started treatment.

Thanks for posting the article, cindy903.