What is it about?
A retrospective chart review of 200 patients on dapsone combination therapy showed it to be efficacious in treating 8 major Lyme symptoms, even among those failing prior traditional therapy. Evaluation of infections and co-infections in those suffering with chronic Lyme symptoms revealed problems with standard antibody testing, the need for broader screening methods i.e., DNA and RNA testing (PCR, FISH), as well as evidence of persistence of intracellular infections and viruses among individuals suffering with chronic illness. Immune deficiency was also present in over 20% of those with chronic Lyme disease.
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Why is it important?
There is no broad scientific consensus on why patients with chronic Lyme symptoms remain ill. This study highlights the need to address different forms of borrelia (especially intracellular and biofilm forms, as well as "persisters") and associated co-infections in those suffering with resistant chronic Lyme/PTLDS. This includes Babesia, Bartonella, tularemia, brucella, mycoplasma rickettsia spp. and viruses including HHV6. Evaluating individuals for immune compromise is also important among this group of patients.
Perspectives
After having treated over 13,000 chronically ill Lyme patients during the past 30 years, I have found dapsone combination therapy and evaluating abnormalities on the 16 point MSIDS map as effective diagnostic and treatment options in many patients whom have failed traditional therapies.
Richard Horowitz
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Precision medicine: retrospective chart review and data analysis of 200 patients on dapsone combination therapy for chronic Lyme disease/post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome: part 1, International Journal of General Medicine, February 2019, Dove Medical Press,
DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s193608.
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