Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Top Killer for Chronic Lyme is Suicide

https://themighty.com/2017/09/lyme-disease-suicide/

The Importance of Reaching Out If Lyme Disease Has Left You Feeling Suicidal

By Annie Perkins-Rosenberg

Editor’s note: If you experience suicidal thoughts, the following post could be potentially triggering. You can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “START” to 741-741.

Article excerpt:

The important message of this article is to help those out there who deal with the psychiatric manifestations, the judgments and the daily struggle of living life with a complex disease like Lyme. It can be heavy some days, and anyone can have dark questioning moments pass through their minds. When those moments do arise, it can be complicated to find someone to trust and to talk to. Quite often, Lyme patients are paying for treatments out of pocket and this does not leave much money left for proper psychiatric help. With the limited time in office visits with our doctors, there is not much time left to talk about how we are feeling emotionally, and our doctors are generally not trained psychiatrists, as much as we wish they were. With Lyme disease being largely unknown, others close to you may judge you and you may feel like there is no one left to talk to. Even if there is, the psychiatric disturbances the disease can cause can make you feel like there is no one out there who can understand you, no one who can listen to you and no one to reach out to, but there is. There always is.

One of the techniques the author used was Googling the suicide prevention hotline so she had a plan if things got dark.  She also removed anything bothersome and overwhelming to her, set boundaries, learned to speak up, and found a small group of people on the same journey as her for comfort.  She also reminded herself that each day she was getting better, that she was healthy and could beat this.  When the dark thoughts came, she sought out help.

All, great advice.

The following abstract by Dr. Bransfield is telling:

LAD contributed to suicidality, and sometimes homicidality, in individuals who were not suicidal before infection. A higher level of risk to self and others is associated with multiple symptoms developing after acquiring LAD, in particular, explosive anger, intrusive images, sudden mood swings, paranoia, dissociative episodes, hallucinations, disinhibition, panic disorder, rapid cycling bipolar, depersonalization, social anxiety disorder, substance abuse, hypervigilance, generalized anxiety disorder, genital–urinary symptoms, chronic pain, anhedonia, depression, low frustration tolerance, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Negative attitudes about LAD from family, friends, doctors, and the health care system may also contribute to suicide risk.

By indirect calculations, it is estimated there are possibly over 1,200 LAD suicides in the US per year.

http://  Approx 1 Min

Robert Bransfield, MD, DLFAPA, private practice, Psychiatry, in Red Bank, New Jersey, discusses direct methods that can be used to acquire statistics related to suicides that are a result of Lyme and associated diseases

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One of the best pieces of advice I got on the journey from another patient was, “don’t get depressed about being depressed.”  In other words, accept the fact there will be dark days with dark thoughts.  Don’t beat up on yourself over this.  Accept it and look forward to tomorrow which will be better.

While the topics regarding Lyme/MSIDS are endless, dealing with pain and insomnia are two issues that can really help with mental health.

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I would be amiss if I didn’t mention detoxing at this point as well as not detoxing properly can also lead to pain:

Category:

Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research, Treatment

Lyme Disease Triggers Inflammation in “Hindbrain”

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-inflammation-hindbrain/

Lyme disease triggers inflammation in “hindbrain”

lyme-disease-inflammation-brain

A 52-year-old woman was hospitalized with rhombencephalitis (inflammation of the rhombencephalon, also known as the hindbrain). The condition was found to be triggered by an infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease.

By

In their article, “Neuroborreliosis with involvement of rhombencephalon: A case report,” ¹ Svingen and colleagues describe a unique presentation in which Lyme disease triggered inflammation of the rhombencephalon, a region of the brain also referred to as the hindbrain.

Over an 8-month period, the patient experienced intermittent fevers, dry cough, fatigue, headaches, night sweats, unintentional weight loss of about 15 lbs., double vision, a tremor in the neck, paresthesia and tremor in the extremities, an unsteady gait, and memory loss.

Approximately 4 weeks prior to symptom onset, the woman had been vacationing in a Lyme-endemic region of Norway. However, she did not recall a tick bite or rash.

“An MRI scan demonstrated pathology in rhombencephalon with quite symmetric T2 hyperintensity involving capsula interna bilaterally, extending through mesencephalon to pons,” the authors wrote.

Borrelia burgdorferi-specific IgM and IgG antibodies were identified using Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA).

An MRI scan revealed inflammation in rhombencephalon (also referred to as the hindbrain) that are extremely rare in patients with Lyme disease, the authors wrote.

The patient was treated successfully for 4 weeks with intravenous ceftriaxone.

“The MRI findings in rhombencephalon had almost disappeared,” according to the authors. Seven months later, a follow-up MRI “was completely normal, and she had further improvement of her symptoms.”

The authors suggest, “Significant improvement of neurological symptoms and resolution of the MRI findings after proper treatment confirmed the diagnosis neuroborreliosis with rhombencephalitis.”

Furthermore, “we recommend that neuroborreliosis should be considered among the differential diagnoses in patients where neurological symptoms and findings suggesting inflammation in the CNS, despite unusual or normal neuroimaging findings.”

Rhombencephalitis can be caused by infections with Listeria monocytogenes as the most common agent followed by Enterovirus 71 and Herpes simplex virus, the authors wrote. However, it is “exceedingly rare” to find Borrelia burgdorferi as an infectious cause of rhombencephalitis.
References:
  1. Svingen H, Orrem J, Nørgaard Eskesen A. Neuroborreliosis with involvement of rhombencephalon: A case report. IDCases. 2022;28:e01472. Published 2022 Mar 8. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01472

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**Comment**

Please remember everything is considered “rare” regarding Lyme, even though many may have the symptoms.  They are rarely recorded.  Big difference.

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Category:

Lyme, research, Treatment

MS Drug Targeting EBV Shows Promise

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/multiple-sclerosis-ms-drug-targeting-epstein-barr-virus-shows-promise

Multiple sclerosis (MS): Drug targeting Epstein-Barr virus shows promise

  • Researchers are investigating the effects of a drug that targets the Epstein-Barr virus in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in an ongoing phase 1 clinical trial.
  • The drug improves MS symptoms and may even reverse the condition.
  • The researchers are now recruiting for a Phase 2 clinical trial to further study the drug’s effects.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic condition that affects the central nervous system (CNS). It is characterized by the immune system attacking myelin sheaths — fatty layers that surround nerve fibers and enable them to communicate.

A study published in early 2022 found that contracting the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a herpes virus, significantly increases a person’s risk of MS. Multiple studies have also found EBV-infected immune B cells in patients with MS.

Researchers still don’t know how EBV may increase MS risk. However, one study suggests that EBV proteins may mimic human myelin proteins and induce an immune reaction against myelin by CNS antigens.   (See link for article)

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SUMMARY:

  • Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. is in the middle of a Phase 1 clinical trial utilizing ATA118 that targets EBV-infected cells in people with MS.
  • Of 24 volunteers receiving varying doses, 20 showed improvement or halt in progression after 1 year.
  • Of 18 volunteers who took the drug for up to 39 months, half achieved sustained disability improvement with 7 showing signs of remyelination
  • Results will be presented at a conference by Atara on October 13th, 2022.
  • A188 might:
    • Interrupt cell-mediated autoimmune cascade driven by EBV-infected B cells.
    • Reduce the production of myelin-targeted antibodies made by EBV-infected plasma cells.
  • No serious or fatal side-effects were experienced, although one volunteer suffered a relapse.
  • Higher doses led to greater clinical responses.
  • The small sample size requires further research.
  • Atara is actively recruiting for a randomized, Phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Important quote:

“A majority of persons with MS appear to have been exposed to EBV. There is a protein on the EBV that is the same as a protein in myelin. When the body’s immune system attacks the virus, it also ends up attacking the myelin. Clearing the virus would decrease the stimulus for the immune cells to attack the myelin.” ~ Barbara Giesser, MD, neurologist and MS specialist

Category:

research, Treatment

Half of Older Adults Now Die With a Dementia Diagnosis, Up Sharply From Two Decades Ago

https://neurosciencenews.com/aging-dementia-death-20290/

Half of Older Adults Now Die With a Dementia Diagnosis, up Sharply From Two Decades Ago

Neuroscience

Summary: Almost 50% of older adults now die with a recorded diagnosis of dementia, up 36% from two decades ago.

Source: University of Michigan

Nearly half of all older adults now die with a diagnosis of dementia listed on their medical record, up 36% from two decades ago, a new study shows.

But that sharp rise may have more to do with better public awareness, more detailed medical records and Medicare billing practices than an actual rise in the condition, the researchers say.

Even so, they note, this offers a chance for more older adults to talk in advance with their families and health care providers about the kind of care they want at the end of life if they do develop Alzheimer’s disease or another form of cognitive decline.

The study, published in JAMA Health Forum by a University of Michigan team, uses data from 3.5 million people over the age of 67 who died between 2004 and 2017. It focuses on the bills their providers submitted to the traditional Medicare system in the last two years of the patients’ lives.

In 2004, about 35% of these end-of-life billing claims contained at least one mention of dementia, but by 2017 it had risen to more than 47%. Even when the researchers narrowed it down to the patients who had at least two medical claims mentioning dementia, 39% of the patients qualified, up from 25% in 2004.

The biggest jump in the percentage of people dying with a dementia diagnosis happened around the time Medicare allowed hospitals, hospices and doctors’ offices to list more diagnoses on their requests for payment.

This shows an old lady's hands
The biggest jump in the percentage of people dying with a dementia diagnosis happened around the time Medicare allowed hospitals, hospices and doctors’ offices to list more diagnoses on their requests for payment. Image is in the public domain

But around this same time, the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease also went into effect, with a focus on public awareness, quality of care and more support for patients and their caregivers.

The end-of-life care that patients with dementia received changed somewhat overtime, including a drop in the percentage who died in a regular hospital bed or a ICU bed, or who had a feeding tube in their last six months. The percentage who received hospice services rose dramatically, from 36% to nearly 63%, though the authors note this is in line with a national trend toward more hospice care by the late 2010s.

“This shows we have far to go in addressing end-of-life care preferences proactively with those who are recently diagnosed, and their families,” said Julie Bynum, M.D., Ph.D., senior author of the study and a professor of geriatric medicine at Michigan Medicine.

“Where once the concern may have been underdiagnosis, now we can focus on how we use dementia diagnosis rates in everything from national budget planning to adjusting how Medicare reimburses Medicare Advantage plans.”

About this dementia research news

Author: Press Office
Source: University of Michigan
Contact: Press Office – University of Michigan
Image: The image is in the public domain

Original Research: Open access.
“Trends in US Medicare Decedents’ Diagnosis of Dementia From 2004 to 2017” by Matthew A. Davis et al. JAMA Health Forum

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Category:

research

Tulane Researcher Asks, “Could Chronic Lyme Contribute to Alzheimer’s Dementia?”

https://www.lymedisease.org/embers-lyme-alzheimers-dementia/

LymeDisease.org avatar
Focus – Opinions and Features
LymeDisease.org
15 APR 2022

Tulane researcher asks, “Could chronic Lyme contribute to Alzheimer’s dementia?”

By Kris Newby, Invisible International

In 2019, the late-great-science-writer Sharon Begley wrote an insightful article, “The maddening saga of how an Alzheimer’s ‘cabal’ thwarted progress toward a cure for decades.”

Begley’s reporting described how a powerful group of researchers became fixated on one theory of Alzheimer’s causation at the expense of all others.

Their hypothesis: that Alzheimer’s cognitive decline was caused by neuron-killing, beta-amyloid protein clumps in the brain, and that if you dissolved the clumps, the disease process would stop.

As this theory hit a brick wall, Begley showed how the actions of the cabal harmed patients: “…for decades, believers in the dominant hypothesis suppressed research on alternative ideas: They influenced what studies got published in top journals, which scientists got funded, who got tenure, and who got speaking slots at reputation-buffing scientific conferences.”

Decades later, with no cure or effective drugs for Alzheimer’s dementia, some researchers are gathering evidence on a different causation theory — that dementia could be triggered by any number of chronic infectious diseases, and that amyloid plaques are a byproduct of an active infection, not the cause.

One of these researchers is Monica Embers, PhD, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane National Primate Research Center. She’s also the leading expert in identifying treatments that can eradicate Lyme bacteria infections in nonhuman primates, our closest mammalian relatives.

CME course on infection and dementia

In her new continuing medical education course, “Chronic Infection and the Etiology of Dementia,” she lays out the evidence that the Lyme bacteria could be one possible cause of dementia.

Her theory is this: When pathogens like the Lyme bacteria sneak past the blood-brain barrier, the immune system doesn’t allow protective killer cells from the entering the inflexible brain cavity, because resulting brain inflammation and swelling could lead to death.

Instead, it encapsulates invading microbes with protein clumps, called beta-amyloid plaques or Lewy bodies, to stop the infection. As a person ages, the bodily processes that clean up this “brain gunk” slows, resulting in protein accumulation that impedes brain signaling and kills neurons.

In her 31-minute course, Dr. Embers describes the clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia, the impact on public health, genetic risks, and the list of infections associated with dementia-like symptoms.

The course also reviews a well-documented case study about a 54-year-old woman who was treated for the Lyme bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi), developed dementia, then died 15 years after the initial infection. After death, B. burgdorferi was identified by PCR (DNA detection) in her brain and central nervous system (CNS) tissues, and by immunofluorescent staining of the bacteria in the spinal cord. (For more, read this peer-reviewed study.)

Dr. Embers and her study’s co-authors conclude, “These studies offer proof of the principle that persistent infection with the Lyme disease spirochete may have lingering consequences on the CNS. Published in postmortem brain autopsy images and extensive pathology tests are a compelling reason to pursue this line of scientific inquiry.”

You can watch this free CME course here.

Kris Newby is Communications Director of Invisible International, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation dedicated to reducing suffering from invisible illnesses. The organization offers 24 free, online Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses on the diagnostics, epidemiology, immunology, symptoms, and treatment of Lyme disease, bartonellosis, and other vector-borne infections. 

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Category:

Alzheimer's, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research