Unfortunately at this time, there is still no accepted diagnostic test available for CFS. Because of this, there is a significant possibility that other illnesses may be misdiagnosed as CFS. Lyme Disease is most common in the USA but a few cases have recently been reported in Australia. This disease shares many symptoms with, and can be misdiagnosed as, CFS. It is therefore worthwhile that patients and doctors become aware of the existence of Lyme Disease in Australia to reduce the possibility of misdiagnosis.

Lyme Disease is caused by a microscopic spirochete (Borrelia burgdoferi in the USA) and is transmitted by the common bush tick (Ixodes holocyclis). It was first reported in Australia in 1982 and is now mainly present along the eastern seaboard of Australia, but has also been reported in other areas as well.

A good clue that you may have picked up Lyme Disease is a red rash that often appears around the tick bite within a month. It is sometimes accompanied by flu-like symptoms. But the bite is painless and a rash does not always appear, and some patients do not even remember being bitten by a tick. So the victims may not be correctly diagnosed until months or even years later.

Most people do eventually get better, but there may be many years of ill health before recovery if it goes untreated. The illness can be treated with special antibiotics. The chance of a quick and full recovery is high with early diagnosis and treatment.

Physicians should not rely solely on laboratory test results, as the organism(s) that causes the disease in Australia may be different to that present in the USA. Researchers believe that some cases probably can't be detected using current tests in this country. The patientís history and physical findings should be considered as well. Australian patients should be questioned about their exposure to domestic and wild animals and insects (not mosquitoes). In Australia, the disease seems to be spread by marsupials that carry the ticks. Bandicoots may account for some of the cases found around Sydneyís northern beaches.

In children, Lyme Disease can be mistaken for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The disease can display a large range of symptoms that can affect almost every system in the body. Symptoms include lethargy, fatigue, musculo-skeletal pains, chest pains, sweats, anxiety, swollen glands, sore throat, numbness, paralysis, fevers, ringing in the ears, headaches and stiff neck.

Researchers are trying to isolate the organism(s) responsible for causing Lyme Disease in Australia and design a test to increase the accuracy of diagnosing the disease in Australia. Doctors may contact Fairfield Hospital in Melbourne for more information on currently available tests. Lyme Disease is still not as common as it is in parts of the USA, but some researchers believe that it may soon become much more common in this country.

Reference for more detailed information
Lyme Diseases: A Review for Primary Health Care Providers.
Nurse Practitioner March 1989; V14, No 3: 18-29.
This reference provides detailed information on symptoms, diagnosis and treatments.

Reprinted from Emerge, June 1992.