Scientific Conference Presents Latest News in Lyme Research

JACKSON, N.J., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Lyme disease is a growing threat in the U.S., with numbers that continue to rise despite increased awareness about the disease. "Little is being done to stop the spread of Lyme disease and to help those who are suffering from chronic Lyme," says Pat Smith, president of the all-volunteer national Lyme Disease Association (LDA), which funds research, educates the public, and provides scientific conferences for doctors.

To provide a venue for research and clinical discussions, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Lyme Disease Association are jointly sponsoring the 11th annual scientific update conference on Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases. Doctors, health care professionals, and the public are all are invited to register for this important Philadelphia conference offering 13 CMEs to registered doctors on Oct. 2 & 3, 2010.

Topics include the impact of Lyme disease on the immune system and clinical features of Bartonella henselae. A new test for Lyme from the National Institutes of Health will be examined, since existing Lyme disease tests are not fully reliable and are not sensitive for all stages of disease.  

It has now been established that the deer tick can transmit more than one disease with a single bite; babesiosis, anaplasmosis/ehrlichiosis, and tularemia are some of the infections that humans can acquire besides Lyme from a tick bite. Thus, information will be presented on reducing the risks of tick-borne diseases, and an ongoing study of the various microbes and strain variations found in ticks will be discussed.

Doctors will talk about the clinical aspects of Lyme disease. Topics include inflammation & pain, women's issues, movement disorders, antibiotics, skin manifestations, vitamin D regulating immunity, differential diagnosis, emergency room protocols, and IV IG treatment. Acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, and integrative medicine approaches to pain will be addressed as well.

The Lyme Disease Association is associated with 39 other organizations nationwide, and with its Connecticut affiliate, Time for Lyme, Inc., has funded the creation of the Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia University in New York. Its Director, Dr. Brian Fallon, an internationally known researcher in the field, is also the Course Director for the conference. Nationally, LDA has supported research on the neurologic aspects of the disease, proteins, multiple diseases caused by ticks, testing, treatment, and mapping the genome of various strains of the Lyme disease organism. Results of LDA-funded research have been published in 17 peer-reviewed journals to date.

Lyme disease is a serious multi-systemic infection which can cause arthritic, musculo-skeletal, cardiac, neurologic, ophthalmologic, and psychiatric manifestations. The classic bull's eye rash is found in less than 50% of patients, so a clinical diagnosis is essential, since early diagnosis and appropriate treatment help to prevent Lyme from becoming chronic.

For complete information and registration, go to http://www.LymeDiseaseAssociation.org . See also workshop hosted by LDA affiliate Lyme Disease Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania on Friday, Oct. 1, same location.

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SOURCE Lyme Disease Association