Jun
17
Written by:
Emily Sherman
6/17/2010 9:04 AM
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Lyme disease education, vigilance important
Dawn Brown's life changed on a spring day in May 2007.
The Interlochen resident, 46, was on a field trip in the Traverse City area with her young daughter when she noticed a small rash on her leg. What started out as seemingly nothing turned into a nightmare with Brown suffering from temporary paralysis, crippling pain and unwavering flu-like symptoms for months on end.
Brown had contracted Lyme disease.
Lyme in Michigan
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transferred to humans through ticks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease can cause harm to the nervous system, heart and joints.
The Michigan Department of Community Health reported at least one case of Lyme disease in Grand Traverse County in its 2008 annual report and recorded 291 cases statewide between 2004-08. The black-legged tick may carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, according to state health department documents.
Michigan State University professor Ned Walker has been involved with Lyme disease research in Michigan for more than 30 years. He said when MSU began its research, ticks infected with Lyme disease only were found in Menominee County in the Upper Peninsula.
Beginning in the early 2000s, Walker said he and his colleagues began to see more infected ticks in Lower Michigan, most notably on the west coast.
Controversial conundrum
The disease is a topic of constant debate. Those living with the disease said they face doctors who refuse to treat it, while researchers and doctors grapple with diagnostics and up-and-coming research.
For Brown, one of her biggest struggles was finding a doctor who would acknowledge her disease. After a year of searching, she found a "Lyme-literate" doctor downstate. Her extreme pain, which has caused her to be bedridden several times, evaporated.
"Within a week I was feeling better," Brown said. "I was up, and I was walking around. It felt like a miracle."
A few months later, after a bout of the H1N1 virus, Brown's Lyme disease resurfaced. Once again, she is fighting to find answers and doctors who will help her.
Linda Lobes, president of the Michigan Lyme Disease Association, said her organization educates physicians and the public about Lyme disease. Often, a lack of knowledge is the biggest hurdle, Lobes said.
"I have doctors calling me asking me for literature," Lobes said. "You have physicians that have patients with Lyme disease, and they might recognize it's Lyme disease, but they don't know how to treat it."
David Martin, an infectious disease doctor at Munson Medical Center, said medical literature and research on Lyme disease greatly has increased over the last 20 years, especially in areas such as New England and California, where Lyme is prevalent.
But Martin questions whether northern Michigan is a hotspot for the disease.
"In general, we don't think the ticks in this part of Michigan carry any disease," Martin said.
Walker's MSU research shows a similar trend. Grand Traverse County is at risk for increased numbers of infected ticks, he said, but research he's done indicates a lack of ticks in Grand Traverse.
"How can it be that certain people in an area are being diagnosed with (Lyme) in an area where the ticks don't occur?" Walker said.
Lyme testing
Testing is based on three factors: symptoms, physical findings including a characteristic bulls-eye rash and a history of exposure to ticks, according to the CDC.
For filmmakers Breanne Russell and Timothy Grey, Grey's sister's illness inspired them to explore Lyme disease in their movie "Under the Eightball."
Grey contends his sister, local writer Lori Hall-Steele, died in 2008 after a battle with Lyme disease. He said his sister visited countless doctors who diagnosed her with everything from Lou Gehrig's disease to hypochondria.
Grey said most doctors told his sister that Lyme disease did not exist in Michigan, and he said doctors sought a quick diagnosis.
But Lyme disease's complexities mean it's not always an easy diagnosis, Grey said.
Martin said doctors do a variety of tests, ranging from symptom checks of the patient to extensive testing of ticks found on patients. He said he's never seen a diagnosis of Lyme disease in this area.
Some doctors may misdiagnose patients with Lyme disease and put them on a treatment of antibiotics without looking further into other possibilities, Martin said.
"It's missing the chance to make a real diagnosis," Martin said. "If the physician is putting the person just on antibiotics and not really looking into what the person might have, I think the physician is actually putting that person at a great disservice."
Future for Lyme
MSU professor Jean Tsao conducts surveys each year to explore the spread of Lyme disease and infected tick populations in Michigan. She and Walker have noted patterns of infected ticks moving into sandy terrains along Michigan's west coast.
Tsao's future research includes looking into areas bordering counties with confirmed Lyme cases. She said her research does not show ticks in Grand Traverse County, but she doesn't rule out their presence here.
"Is it possible? Sure it is," Tsao said. "It is very possible that a small tick population could have migrated in and established itself more inland. That's what our next step of research is looking into finding out."
Walker said his studies show a flourishing, infected tick population takes years to grow and establish itself in an area.
Despite the uncertainty of the prevalence of Lyme disease in northern Michigan, doctors and those infected can agree on one thing: Everyone needs to check themselves after coming from outside for ticks and keep an eye on their health.
http://record-eagle.com/features/x336263872/Lyme-disease-education-vigilance-important