CDC Shuts Off All Prolonged Antibiotic or Immunoglobulin Therapy for Lyme Patients

June 16, 2017 – In an MMWR article highlighting several cases of patients diagnosed with Lyme disease who developed complications including death from the treatment, CDC said it does not recommend prolonged antibiotic or immunoglobulin therapy, which it says, lack data supporting effectiveness for chronic Lyme disease.

According to the article entitled “Serious Bacterial Infections Acquired During Treatment of Patients Given a Diagnosis of Chronic Lyme Disease — United States”:

“These cases highlight the severity and scope of adverse effects that can be caused by the use of unproven treatments for chronic Lyme disease. In addition to the dangers associated with inappropriate antibiotic use, such as selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, these treatments can lead to injuries related to unnecessary procedures, bacteremia and resulting metastatic infection, venous thromboses, and missed opportunities to diagnose and treat the actual underlying cause of the patient’s symptoms.”

The CDC told the Lyme Disease Association this morning that this article was provided to inform patients and providers so they can make informed decisions on this issue, since they felt patients were unaware of the dangers associated with IV treatments for Lyme disease–it is for the good of the patient.

See LDA’s Response on the issue: Click here

MMWR article link to complete article https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6623a3.htm?s_cid=mm6623a3_e