Doctor cleared of misdiagnosing Lyme disease

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Doctor cleared of misdiagnosing Lyme disease

BY BILL MCKELWAY

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 7, 2005

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The state's medical board has exonerated a popular Northern Virginia

physician whose treatments for suspected Lyme disease allegedly

endangered her patients.

In a decision made public yesterday, the board concluded there was

insufficient evidence to support allegations that Dr. Lelia H.

Zackrison had misdiagnosed Lyme disease in certain patients and then

treated them with prolonged courses of antibiotics and other drugs.

Dozens of Zackrison's patients and supporters showed up this week in

Fredericksburg for a hearing on the charges, which involved care for

three patients dating back to May 1999.

Zackrison, in support letters and among members of the National

Capital Lyme Disease Association, has been portrayed as a target of

the medical establishment that argues that some patient symptoms

result from conditions not related to Lyme disease.

These " charges are at the heart of the Lyme disease diagnosis and

treatment debate, " notices sent out by the National Capital group

said, urging its members to write letters supporting the Fairfax

doctor to the medical board and Zackrison's lawyer, R. on

Pledger Jr.

Lyme disease, which can cause severe, recurrent headaches and nerve

damage, is most often found in the Northeast but it is believed to be

occurring with more frequency farther south. The disease is carried

by deer ticks; about 100 cases a year turn up in Virginia but the

diagnosis is often uncertain.

In one of the charges, Zackrison allegedly diagnosed a patient with

Lyme disease despite a lack of corroborating evidence and tests that

conflicted about the presence of the disease. She ordered that the

patient have a catheter and undergo a 12-week course of drugs.

But the patient sought a second opinion which resulted in a finding

of no Lyme disease, Lupus or reactive arthritis. The patient was

treated for fibromyalgia and malnourishment.

The decision yesterday concluded that Zackrison's care for the three

patients was not optimal but that there was no clear evidence that

there was a violation of state law or regulations. Nor did the

allegations involve actual evidence of patient harm.

Neither Pledger nor Zackrison returned calls asking for comment.

Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or bmckelway@...