Why is Lyme disease often misdiagnosed?
Doctors can have difficulty diagnosing Lyme disease because its symptoms mimic other diseases, namely the flu and chronic fatigue syndrome. Also, doctors were previously limited to Lyme tests that measured antibody responses (the ELISA and Western Blot.) When your body is invaded by Lyme bacteria, your immune system makes antibodies to fight the infection. Tests that measure this antibody response, rather than detect the presence of the bacteria themselves, can produce falsely negative results in 50-70% of patients tested because:
During the first 4-6 weeks after exposure, most people have not developed the antibody response that the tests measure.
Lyme disease is known to avoid immune detection necessary to create antibodies against it.
Patients now have a third option, iSpot Lyme
The iSpot Lyme test allows for earlier detection and increases accuracy because it detects the bacterial infection that accompanies Lyme disease with an accuracy rate of 84%. It also helps avoid false positives in 94% of cases.
Why is Lyme disease often misdiagnosed?
Doctors can have difficulty diagnosing Lyme disease because its symptoms mimic other diseases, namely the flu and chronic fatigue syndrome. Also, doctors were previously limited to Lyme tests that measured antibody responses (the ELISA and Western Blot.) When your body is invaded by Lyme bacteria, your immune system makes antibodies to fight the infection. Tests that measure this antibody response, rather than detect the presence of the bacteria themselves, can produce falsely negative results in 50-70% of patients tested because:
During the first 4-6 weeks after exposure, most people have not developed the antibody response that the tests measure.
Lyme disease is known to avoid immune detection necessary to create antibodies against it.
Patients now have a third option, iSpot Lyme
The iSpot Lyme test allows for earlier detection and increases accuracy because it detects the bacterial infection that accompanies Lyme disease with an accuracy rate of 84%. It also helps avoid false positives in 94% of cases.
Doctors can have difficulty diagnosing Lyme disease because its symptoms mimic other diseases, namely the flu and chronic fatigue syndrome. Also, doctors were previously limited to Lyme tests that measured antibody responses (the ELISA and Western Blot.) When your body is invaded by Lyme bacteria, your immune system makes antibodies to fight the infection. Tests that measure this antibody response, rather than detect the presence of the bacteria themselves, can produce falsely negative results in 50-70% of patients tested because:
During the first 4-6 weeks after exposure, most people have not developed the antibody response that the tests measure.
Lyme disease is known to avoid immune detection necessary to create antibodies against it.
Patients now have a third option, iSpot Lyme
The iSpot Lyme test allows for earlier detection and increases accuracy because it detects the bacterial infection that accompanies Lyme disease with an accuracy rate of 84%. It also helps avoid false positives in 94% of cases.
