Under Our Skin: a documentary film on Lyme disease

July 24, 2009

Documentary on Lyme disease at the Avon Theatre

Lyme disease documentary at the Avon Theatre

By Hennessy STAFF WRITER 07/16/2009 02:55:58 PM EDT

It has been more than 30 years since Lyme disease was first identified, but the

debate still rages over diagnosis and treatment, a morass filmmaker Andy

Abrahams found himself wading through while making the documentary,

" Under Our Skin. "

" I did not start out with an ax to grind, " the California filmmaker said. " For

me, it happened by accident, born out of curiosity and compassion. What I

uncovered was a story of medical neglect. "

said he heard the same story time and time again from people all over the

country. Undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for the symptoms they were experiencing,

they found themselves on an endless journey of visiting doctors, spending lots

of money and fighting insurance companies to cover their care. " It really is a

travesty, " he said...

Lyme disease is an infection caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi

that is transmitted to humans through the bite

of an infected deer or blacklegged tick. Sufferers present symptoms such as

fever, fatigue, neck stiffness, joint pain and a bull's-eye rash, though the

rash is not always present. If left untreated, or if patients do not respond to

the initial course of antibiotics, more severe and lasting complications can

develop, such as neurological and cognitive difficulties, as well as loss of

muscle tone and cardiac issues. It can affect all systems of the body, including

digestive, respiratory, musculoskeletal and reproductive. Joint pain and

inflammation can worsen and arthritis can develop.

It was an unusual cluster of young children diagnosed with pediatric arthritis

living in and around the Connecticut town of Lyme in the mid-1970s that brought

attention to this disease. Initially called Lyme arthritis, it was eventually

changed to Lyme disease when it became clear that it not only affected the

joints, but all parts of the body, said.

By the late 1970s, researchers had determined how humans became infected.

However, it wasn't until the early 1980s that the corkscrew-shaped spirochete --

of which there are about 300 strains -- that causes the infection was

discovered. About 27,000 cases of Lyme disease were reported nationally in 2007,

the latest year for which statistics are available, according to the Centers for

Disease Control. More than 3,000 were reported in Connecticut. But given the

symptoms can mimic other conditions and diseases, some are skeptical that all

the cases are being reported...

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