Doctor calls for Lyme patients to step forward

Westmorland Gazette - UK
A LEADING doctor is urging people who think they might have been affected by Lyme disease to get in touch, reports Jennie Dennett.

Dr Peter Moody, the clinical director of pharmacy for the Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust, is trying to get an idea about how common the condition is.

It follows the case of an Ulverston seven-year-old who picked up Lyme Disease in September after being bitten by a tick playing in woodland at Lakeside.

The disease is spread by the blood-sucking parasites that dwell in woodland and long grass. It causes a nasty rash and flu-like symptoms but, left untreated, it can get much worse.

Sufferers can develop symptoms like chronic tiredness and joint pain, meaning patients are sometimes mis-diagnosed with ME. It can also cause Lyme arthritis and in other, severe cases, it can become chronic, attacking the nervous system, causing numbing, hearing loss and even dementia.

Cases of Lymes in the UK have been steadily climbing, something thought to be due to a combination of better reporting of cases and an increased prevalence of ticks because of a warmer climate.

However, because it is not a notifiable disease, meaning health authorities do not have to log all instances of Lymes, it is not clear exactly how many cases there have been and if it is an increasing problem locally.

Dr Moody said: "The nature of our local countryside is such that ticks thrive and, although only a certain percentage are infected, there is the potential for Lyme disease to spread."

He is now preparing a talk on Lymes to be given at Furness General Hospital on November 23 to local doctors, including GPs and hospital staff.

To prepare, Dr Moody wants anyone to get in touch anonymously and let him know if they have become ill as a result of a tick bite.

"A readership survey is not a scientific determinant of prevalence, but it will give me some indication," said Dr Moody.

Earlier this year, Dr Ray Maglone, the clinical director for Accident and Emergency services in Morecambe Bay Hospitals, issued advice to casualty departments to be aware of tick bites and to treat any affected patient with a short course of antibiotics to prevent the development of Lymes.

Anyone who thinks they have been affected should leave a phone message on 01229-491157 or write to Dr Moody at peter.moody@ fgh.mbht.nhs.uk, or at the Pharmacy Dept, Furness General Hospital, Dalton Lane, Barrow-In-Furness, LA14 4LF.

Volunteers can take part anonymously.