IDSA Lyme Treatment Guidelines: Politics As Usual

Recently, Under Our Skin Blog wrote extensively about the anti-climactic event encompassing the hard work of so many to have the IDSA Lyme Treatment Guidelines reviewed by an independent panel and re-evaluated based upon new evidence.

It is heartbreaking to read the President of IDSA( Anne Gerson, M.D) assessment afters ruling on the testimonies (5 testimonies from the business as usual crowd and 5 testimonies from pioneers in Lyme disease treatment and diagnosis.)

Several days later Dr. Gerson said;

“The physicians and scientists who wrote the Infectious Disease Society of America’s (ISDA) guidelines thoroughly reviewed all the medical evidence and took great care to address the claims made by the small minority of physicians who advocate long-term antibiotic use.

“The notion that the authors had financial conflicts of interest is absurd to anyone who has read the guidelines which recommends generic tests and a short course of generic drugs”

The only possible good news is that there was spirited discussion about the importance of patients having options explained and having the right (as we do currently under the law) to choose the treatment they believe will serve them best. That would be a start in the right direction.

To read more go to Under Our Skin’s Blog - for a disappointing report of the entire proceedings.