An insightful and interesting story in Philadelphia Weekly looks at the growing medical and insurance conflicts surrounding a diagnosis of Lyme disease, which can become a chronic condition, cause Bell's palsy, memory loss or immune system problems in some people and lead to fights with insurance companies over disability compensation. The author, Tara Murtha, contracted the disease and discusses her own personal story, as well as the politics surrounding it. In a sidebar, she also interviews pop star Daryl Hall, of the music group Hall and Oates, about his experiences after getting Lyme disease.She explains:
Lyme, the most politicized and contested disease since the emergence of AIDS, is also the fastest-growing infectious illness since AIDS.
The medical establishment debates over almost every aspect of Lyme: the definition, who has it, the odds of catching it, the range of symptoms, its origin and most important, whether it’s a chronic condition that persists after 10 to 28 days of
antibiotic treatment.Of course wars rage on two levels: There are white-haired dudes pushing paperwork in offices, and there are the people in the trenches who deal with the fallout.
On high, the Lyme controversy is epitomized by the bitter battle between Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS).
The IDSA is the incumbent power. They authored the official, sacred Lyme disease guidelines at the root of the clash; these guidelines regulate diagnosis and treatment. They’re the ones health insurance companies use to deny coverage for treatment outside narrow definitions and to indict physicians who prescribe antibiotic treatment beyond their purview.
Dozens of doctors have had their medical licenses challenged or revoked for practicing outside the guidelines.
In short, the IDSA’s perspective on Lyme is that it’s easy to detect and cure—and that chronic Lyme doesn’t exist.
