Johns Hopkins’ Aucott Makes Case for Chronic Lyme Disease

John Aucott, Director, Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center and Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, published a piece in The Conversation providing his insight on the highly controversial topic of chronic Lyme disease.

In the article, Aucott outlines the existence of a population of patients – an estimated 10-20% – with persistent, lingering symptoms months to years after treatment. He details some of his experience treating these patients and provides an explanation of the various challenges that impair the diagnostic and treatment process. Aucott states, “My chronic Lyme patients were sicker and had less hope than the AIDS patients I worked with, but the underlying mechanism of illness remained elusive.”

Aucott emphasizes that while the mechanism of chronic Lyme disease remains unknown, and molecular markers are needed to provide further insights, it is “no longer accurate to simply argue that chronic Lyme disease doesn’t exist.”

Read Aucott’s full article in The Conversation.

Visit LDA’s web page with more information about the chronic Lyme controversy.