Chronic and Persistent Lyme Symptoms: CDC Update Underscores Progress (with folks comments and mine as well)
by Global Lyme Alliance
October 30, 2023
The CDC's update on Lyme infections is a shift in tone on the long-lasting symptoms and challenges faced by individuals. As acceptance of 'long COVID' and the concept of persistent illnesses grows in familiarity, the CDC's update on Lyme disease is no exception.
More here:
https://www.globallymealliance.org/news/the-long-shadow-of-lyme-infection-cdc-update-sparks-new-conversation?
From the CDC website:
https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/what-we-do/our-topics/chronic-symptoms.html#print
Chronic Symptoms Following Infections
Infections can sometimes leave people with symptoms that last for weeks to months or longer, even after appropriate treatment. Some of these symptoms are well-recognized and specific to the type of infection, for example, loss of smell and COVID-19. Other symptoms are unexplained and general (e.g., fatigue or difficulty thinking). Similar symptoms can follow many different types of infections. These general symptoms include:
Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life
“Flu-like” symptoms including, muscle pain, headache, sweating, irritability, and general feelings of sickness
Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort (also known as “post-exertional malaise”)
Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”), trouble finding words
Chronic or recurrent joint pain
Sleep problems
Some disease agents that have been linked to chronic symptoms
Borrelia burgdorferi (bacteria causing Lyme disease)
Campylobacter
Chikungunya virus
Coxiella burnetii (bacteria causing Q fever)
Dengue virus
Ebola virus
Epstein Barr virus
Enterovirus
Poliovirus
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
West Nile virus
Some people with chronic symptoms following infections may not know which infection triggered the symptoms, or even recognize that they had an infection before their chronic symptoms began. People with chronic symptoms and unknown preceding infection may be diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.
Causes of chronic symptoms following infections
It is not fully known why some people experience chronic general symptoms. Infections trigger many different responses in the human body. This makes it difficult for researchers to sort out why some people have chronic symptoms after an infection and others do not. In some cases, an infection may continue to trigger the immune system or “turn on” an autoimmune condition, where the immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake. In other cases, the body’s response to an infection might cause inflammation that may be hard to “turn off.” These immune or related inflammatory responses may cause a person to feel more pain, fatigue, or other symptoms than normal. Other responses include damage to the nervous system, changes to the microbiome (the collection of microbes, or germs, that live on and in the body), and damage to the body’s ability to produce energy from food.
Effects of chronic symptoms following infections
The type, duration, and intensity of chronic, symptoms following an infection can be different from person to person. Symptoms may come and go or vary in severity (how bad the person feels over time). Some patients’ symptoms slowly improve with time. However, it can take weeks and sometimes years to feel well. The longer fatigue or other symptoms last, the more likely they are to lead to other problems, such as physical weakness or difficulty with performing daily activities. Long-term illnesses can also impact relationships and a person’s mental health.
Addressing chronic symptoms with a healthcare provider
It is important to talk to a healthcare provider if you are concerned about any symptoms that last a long time. A healthcare provider will perform a thorough evaluation that might include a physical exam and testing to help them consider or rule-out possible causes of the symptoms. Often test results are normal, and the cause of symptoms remains unexplained. It is important for you and your healthcare providers to understand that normal test results do not mean your symptoms are not real. In some cases, tests to confirm a diagnosis do not exist. It may take a long time to consider or rule out all potential causes of chronic symptoms.
A healthcare provider may also ask questions to understand your health history, including if you had a positive test for an infection, family health history, current symptoms, and how you are able to keep up with daily activities. Speaking with your healthcare provider about the symptoms you are experiencing could help identify new medical conditions. While there are no medicines or methods that work for everyone, your healthcare provider can work with you to try methods that have helped some and could improve your symptoms and quality of life. Researchers and healthcare providers are still learning about chronic symptoms following infections and how best to manage them and support patients.
Treatment for chronic symptoms following infections
In many cases, there are no specific treatments or cures for chronic symptoms following an infection. There are, however, steps you can take to reduce the impact these symptoms have on your life. Given the overlap in symptoms, management and treatment approaches for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) can be helpful for people experiencing chronic symptoms.
More information on how to treat chronic symptoms following a specific infection may be available at the above disease agent links.
CDC action to address chronic symptoms following infections
Many infections can result in chronic general symptoms that look similar to ME/CFS. CDC believes that by looking across the infections known to cause chronic symptoms, we can learn more about how often and why they occur, as well as how to diagnose and treat them. This year, CDC is:
Funding studies to learn more about how to recognize and treat patients who experience chronic symptoms after an infection
Meeting with experts to prioritize research activities and improve guidance for clinicians
Increasing awareness among healthcare providers and the public
Monitoring the occurrence of chronic symptoms following certain infections
Working with patient partner organizations to understand the needs and priorities of people with chronic symptoms following infection
For more information on this topic
Unexplained post-acute infection syndromes | Nature Medicine
Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions | CDC
Information for Healthcare Providers | ME/CFS | CDC
Living with ME/CFS | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) | CDC
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Below are comments from folks at the Charles E. Holman facebook site.
Lucien Cohen
When insurance companies start excepting treatments for Lyme, then I’ll believe it! We are a long ways from that
Nancy Vadeboncoeur
Look at them catching up to reality 🤨
Sunny Thomas
The government has always known that lyme is chronic and there is no cure. They weaponized so why wouldn't they know? However, they are basically saying this is post-lyme disease syndrome. They just want vaccines but vaccines are too late for those of us with it. They need to acknowledge that and state that we need ongoing treatment from time to time instead of ignoring us. We've lost everything or they can write me a check for 5 million.
Cindy Wilber Thomas
IT’S ABOUT TIME!!!!! Now can we get treatment covered by insurance?
Angela Russo
How is this different exactly from post treatment Lyme disease syndrome? I’m a bit concerned about the fact that they’re not saying a chronic infection but rather, still saying, “chronic symptoms after appropriate treatment.”
Laura Maciariello
Jeez Long Covid paving the way not a bunch of Lyme loonies after all!
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Dear RM Agents and Readers,
So they through us a bone; at least we can tell our families it is real, right, not just malingering or being lazy.
Personally, I don't trust them or any of it; do i know it goes on and even after treatment, yes.
Do I know that if you are pushed to the limit it will come back with a vengeance, yes.
Do I know the cost of treatment and staying alive begins to feel out of whack; it becomes what is the point, yes.
Do I know what it is like to beg people not to push so hard, to seek help and not get any, yes.
Do I know how much harder it is to fight with the jabbed shedding,
yes.
Have I spent most of my money on health products, i.e. vitamins and any nutritional helps possible, yes.
It is about the third month of not taking supplements that my body , mind, spirit and heart betray me.
My take on why they have done this is to off-load the rest of the vaccines, re-brand same product and dump it into others, cover their misdeeds with more murder. It is obvious, I am cynical for good reason.
You should be too.
I agree with Sunny Thomas in the above comments, except that I don't think any vaccines should ever be given again. They can write me a check for the relationships I have lost because so many times it was impossible to place into words why I can't right now. I put my faith and trust in God not in anything from Man.
I don't believe for one minute any of this is meant to help us; although it may give us a leg up in the understanding of what has been taking place in regards to our families.
So you still value the opinion of the CDC or any other agency?
Well that would be your first mistake or your last. They are as corrupt as they have been for the last 40 years and nothing they can do will change that. It is what it is.
They need to be flushed right along with every other agency in America and it seems around the world for this is and has been an attack on the whole of humanity, wake up! I speak not only of the Lyme umbrella conditions but also of COVID 19 and anything else they generate in their bio-warfare labs and then put the blame on us the 'filthy' humans.
I used to have many friends I spoke with on Morgellons, they have long since passed.
Good Luck and Pray and I Thank God for my 2 dogs and my kitty that have kept me going. Winter is coming and it is going to be a very difficult one; prepare yourself as best you can.
Many Blessings,
CrystalRiver
