Lyme Aware

Many Tests To Diagnose Lyme Disease, But No Proof They Work

The announcement spread quickly through the Web to Lyme disease patients across the United States. A small private lab had made an exciting breakthrough, the e-mail said, developing a surefire way to identify the debilitating disease in people. “This test is being rolled out gradually, with no big public announcements yet,” wrote Joseph Burrascano Jr., a New York doctor and leading Lyme patient advocate. Describing himself as a consultant to the lab, Burrascano said he was e-mailing doctors “so you can be among the first to be able to order this testing, before the lab gets swamped.” To throngs of sick people in New England, where Lyme disease has become a major health concern, the note offered hope that finally, they would have proof that their chronic health problems were caused by Lyme disease. Read more.