Time to go into the light...
Gone is Chronic Lyme, its Tertiary Lyme Tyme
I was browsing through posts this morning and found this study. Like the person who post it was, I was surprised I wasn’t familiar with it. With my neurological issues however, my memory is never really reliable, so like any new piece of information, I went to town sourcing and digging behind the study itself. I usually get linked into some studies that have receive little or no recognition, as they don’t support the mainstream ISDA/CDC approved thinking.
Received 2012 Apr 28; Revised 2012 Jun 22; Accepted 2012 Jul 2.
International Alzheimer Research Center, Alzheimer Prevention Foundation, 1921 Martigny-Croix, Switzerland
*Address correspondence to this author at the International Alzheimer Research Center, Alzheimer Prevention Foundation, 1921 Martigny-Croix, CP 16, Switzerland; Tel: + 41 27 722 0652, + 41 79 207 4442; E-mail: hc.niweulb@yssoklimhtiduj
“Importantly, the existence of late Lyme disease is approved by all official guidelines in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The terms “late” and “chronic” Lyme disease, as in syphilis, are synonymous and define tertiary Lyme disease [20, 125]. The use of “chronic” Lyme disease as a different entity is inaccurate and confusing.”
This study, like that of Dr. Monica Embers, this outlines how there are structural, behavioural and similar manifestations between the Treponema pallidum(Syphilis) and Borrelia spirochetes. Naturally, I went and looked at reference 20 and 125, knowing I needed to find out about tertiary Lyme. My first step was naturally to Google Tertiary Lyme. I know that doctors make fun of google degrees, but it is absolutely amazing what you will find. It may take years to disseminate the information into a working understanding, but if I can do that in 3 years while recovering and healing from Neuroborreliosis I'm positive that the professionals sitting on the PHAC guideline review committee might be able to understand them even better than even I.
According to David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M (American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org) Inc., et al (Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital)
My next link tied me back into Judith Miklossy's work in another paper;
Biology and Neuropathology of Dementia in Syphilis and Lyme Disease
“Tertiary Lyme disease is a late, persistent inflammatory disease characterized by skin changes, neurological and musculoskeletal symptoms caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by the bite of a tick. Tertiary Lyme disease is indicated by chronic arthritis”
”Both spirochetes are neurotropic and in both diseases the neurological and pathological manifestations occur in three stages. They both can persist in the infected host tissue and play a role in chronic neuropsychiatric disorders, including dementia. The chapter describes that B. burgdorferi, similarly to T. pallidum, is present at the site of inflammation in many organs, including the brain. Both spirochetes may invade a wide range of tissues. They frequently and preferentially invade conjunctive tissue and extracellular matrix at the first stages of infection but both invade parenchymal cells as well. The involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) may occur years or decades following the primary infection. It is in the tertiary stage of neurosyphilis or late neurosyphilis that dementia develops.”
Like the word, that linked me to my next study;
Clinical and Therapeutic Aspects of Dementia in Syphilis and Lyme disease.
by Richardo Nitrini from the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine, Sao Paulo, Brazil
“This chapter emphasizes that Syphilis and Lyme disease are both caused by spirochetes of the family Treponemataceae. Infections by these bacteria exhibit several common characteristics, such as initial infection through the skin or mucosae; early spirochetemia with systemic dissemination; and, after months or years, chronic and pleomorphic(bacteria that change shape dramatically or exist in a number of extreme morphological forms)manifestations, usually following a period of latent infection. The chapter also focuses on the late encephalic manifestations, which include progressive encephalomyelitis and Lyme encephalopathy. Lyme encephalopathy, in which the patient presents characteristic features outlined in the original syndrome descriptions, such as objective signs of memory impairment and abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), treatment is recommended.
Persisting atypical and cystic forms of Borrelia burgdorferi and local inflammation in Lyme neuroborreliosis
Judith Miklossy,1 Sandor Kasas,2 Anne D Zurn,3 Sherman McCall,4 Sheng Yu,1 and Patrick L McGeer1
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"Recently we reported evidence that Borrelia burgdorferi can also persist in the brain in chronic Lyme neuroborreliosis and, in analogy to Treponema pallidum, may cause dementia, cortical atrophy and amyloid deposition [3,49,51]. Only limited data have previously been available on the presence of atypical, cystic forms of spirochetes in the brain in chronic Lyme neuroborreliosis."
CONCLUSION: The results indicate that atypical extra- and intracellular pleomorphic and cystic forms of Borrelia burgdorferi and local neuroinflammation occur in the brain in chronic Lyme neuroborreliosis. The persistence of these more resistant spirochete forms, and their intracellular location in neurons and glial cells, may explain the long latent stage and persistence of Borrelia infection."
So what is your conclusion? Tertiary means third stage/level, they have already mentioned the three stages of Lyme, the acute stage, now under 30 days,(3 years ago it was listed as 6 months.) the second stage which they call early disseminated 30 days to 3 months post exposure. Then late stage or tertiary stage of Lyme. This is 6 months or more post bite/exposure. This currently is the most likely outcome. Most people either do not develop or end up not seeing a rash, they do not know they have been bit, so they assume they need more rest or they are getting old. Many know they are sick but cannot convince a doctor to treat. Too many family physicians are behind on Lyme disease literacy and their ignorance on the subject is creating a vaccum for people who are getting infected without appropriate care. Most people in my area go stateside for an Lyme literate medical doctor. Current waiting period for my areas most commonly utilized LLMD is 4-6 months, and she is worked off her feet with over 1600+ Canadian patients drive out of country for health care. Those of us who cannot afford the expenses are left to battle individually for some semblance of health care. I personally have no primary care physician, I have been on a waiting list for 2 yrs, and not on a waiting list 1.5 years prior. So I ask you, does it matter what they call it: late stage, tertiary, chronic Lyme disease? Lyme by any other name still sours lives.
There are numerous other peer reviewed studies and research papers on both the topic of similarities between Treponema pallidum and Borrelia burgodferi please read the first 15 research abstracts I collected from the over 700 peer reviewed studies collected by ILADS.