There is a lot of controversy as to whether Lyme disease can lead to death when left untreated for a long time. However, a new US government study has indicated that Lyme disease rarely causes death in humans.
Using a database which stated 114 deaths caused by Lyme disease, it was found that a lot of multiple health problems were the causes of individual deaths, while only 23 deaths have Lyme disease has an underlying cause.
Using death records collected from 45 U.S. states, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that between 1999 and 2003, 114 records were listing Lyme disease as a cause of death. Out of all 23 deaths, only one death was caused by symptoms quite similar to that of Lyme disease. It is due to this finding that Lyme disease is said to cause death in the US rarely.
The conclusion that Lyme disease isn’t a killer, however, doesn’t deal with the controversial belief of some health practitioners who are of the belief that the long-term effects of Lyme disease may lead to fatal health problems.
Certain medical groups have indicated that a majority of the cases of Lyme disease can be cured by making use of four weeks of antibiotic treatment. However, some people still develop life-long problems despite antibiotic treatment.
The lethal nature of Lyme disease is controversial, due to the fact that some long-term effects of Lyme disease could result in death threatening conditions. These conditions are known to include depression or fibromyalgia, which are common conditions in the general population, but based on reports, Lyme disease has never been recorded as the cause of death in any situation.
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