New study finds a possible clue to Lyme arthritis and chronic infection in patients' joints
As for the new study, it leaves open the question of whether there are still bacteria in the joints of patients with Lyme arthritis, Lewis said. “The authors think that the peptidoglycan remains in synovial fluid after the pathogen is gone. My guess is that the pathogen remains in the joints and sheds the antigen. It would be good to know how things really are.”
When it comes to finding physical explanations for patient symptoms, it’s not necessary to determine whether PTLDS is caused by lingering bacteria or to a malfunctioning immune system, said Dr. Peter Novak, an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and director of the autonomic laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
He suspects that damage is due to changes in the immune system that were kicked off by the Lyme infection and remain after the bacteria have been obliterated. As for patients who experience improvement when treated with long courses of antibiotics, Novak believes this is because many antibiotics also have an anti-inflammatory effect.
So, while others look for ways to test for the presence or absence of the bacteria, Novak’s strategy is to try to make patients feel better by treating their symptoms.Linda Carroll is a regular health contributor to NBC News and Reuters Health. She is coauthor of"The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic" and"Out of the Clouds: The Unlikely Horseman and the Unwanted Colt Who Conquered the Sport of Kings.
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