Beating Lyme

April 28, 2008
Author and health educator Bean (Methods of Childbirth), along with Lyme disease awareness activist Fein, present the complete story of Lyme disease, a resilient and difficult-to-treat disease transmitted by deer ticks: its identification in 1975, the two-decade increase in reported cases (it's now "the fastest-growing infectious disease in America"), symptoms (which can be "arthritic, neurological, behavioral, cardiac, dermatological, muscular, or otherwise"), diagnosis and, most disturbingly, the disconnect between two powerful groups of physicians regarding its treatment. "Just as likely to be found in suburban yards as they are in woods and fields, or among coastal bushes and grass," the deer tick's ubiquity accounts for cases in 46 states in 2006 alone; alarmingly, "at least 10 percent" of contractors become chronically ill due to lack of treatment, which "remains remarkably unavailable" unless the bite is caught promptly. Occurring as both acute and chronic disease, Lyme has a cost to society of "about $2 billion a year" total; the authors' recommendations for avoiding exposure to deer ticks, as well as detailed information on diagnostic tests and pharmaceutical treatments, will prove useful to readers and medical personnel in Lyme-endemic regions.

June 15, 2008
It's been estimated that Lyme disease affects more than 1.7 million people in the United States. Caused by the spirochete "Borrelia burgdorferi", which is carried by deer ticks, the infection is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms vary widely and resemble those of other diseases. Laboratory tests are not always reliable, and physicians may misdiagnose Lyme disease as chronic fatigue syndrome or a psychosomatic condition. Author Bean (former program coordinator of health education, Massachusetts Inst. of Technology;"Methods of Childbirth") was herself diagnosed with the disease in 1993. Here, she and Fein, a physician who specializes in treating the disease, discuss the history of Lyme disease as well as its prevention, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. They also talk about the controversy in the medical community over the existence of chronic Lyme disease and the need for extended antibiotic treatment as well as address such topics as patients' rights, legal options in the case of a misdiagnosis, and dealing with tick bites. With summer approaching, this is a useful book for anyone planning to spend time outdoors. Recommended for public and consumer health libraries.Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.