A new study may have found the reason why Lyme disease symptoms persist for so long in some patients. This development could lead to new treatments that could dramatically better the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world if not more.
Lyme disease is a strange condition transmitted only by a deer-biting tick that causes a wide range of patient outcomes. Some patients are cured in the matter of 2 weeks with a course of antibiotics while others can suffer from the crippling chronic symptoms for years or even decades.
The cause of these elusive chronic symptoms has puzzled doctors and researchers for decades. A new study in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, found a potential clue to help solve this important medical mystery.
The paper found that patients who had been treated for Lyme disease and had long-lasting chronic symptoms had elevated levels of a small protein important for immune system signaling.
The protein, Interferon Alpha, is one of a few proteins that tells the immune system to fight off invading pathogens like bacteria or viruses. The researchers behind the paper think that Lyme disease caused the body to produce too much of this marker in patients with chronic symptoms.
The markers then signal to the immune system to fight pathogens that aren’t there, causing them to turn on the patient’s cells. This can cause inflammation even after all of the bacteria that induces Lyme disease is dead.
The researchers hypothesize that this indiscriminate inflammation causes the symptoms known as chronic Lyme disease such as swelling, pain, headaches and fatigue.
If the connection between persistent Lyme disease and elevated Interferon alpha is confirmed, researchers still need to make sure that Interferon alpha is actually the cause of the inflammation and symptoms. This study only suggested that patients with these lasting symptoms have elevated levels of the signaling protein.
This find needs to be confirmed with more research, specifically a full clinical trial. However, it is extremely promising for those suffering from the chronic symptoms of Lyme disease. There are already multiple FDA-approved pharmaceuticals that can lower interferon alpha.
Related Articles:
European Commission Clears Path for Microsoft-Activision Merger
Polls Suggest That Mainstream Media Created a Mirage of Big Tech Backlash
22 Best Crypto To Buy Now – Which Is The Best Cryptocurrency to Invest in 2023?