Conference to Educate Doctors on Pediatric Lyme Disease, January 28th

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Conference to Educate Doctors on Pediatric Lyme Disease, January 28th

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LymeBlog News

Lexington, KY USA

By LymeBlog Staff

January 1, 2006 11:02 am

A conference for medical professionals titled " Current Controversies in

Pediatric Lyme Disease " will be held for one day only, Saturday, January 28,

2006 at All Children's Hospital in St. sburg, FL, USA. Registration is

complimentary and continuing medical education (CME) credits are offered for

the attendees but space is running out quickly.

One of the key speakers at the " Current Controversies in Pediatric Lyme

Disease " conference will be Dr. Fallon, MD, associate Professor of

Clinical Psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and

Surgeons and the director of the Columbia Lyme Research Program, at the New York

State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Fallon has published and lectured widely on the

neuropsychiatric effects of Lyme Disease.

According to the Columbia Lyme Research Program, one of the big problems with

Lyme disease is that the children may be mistakenly diagnosed as having

depression, irritability and oppositional behavior.

Many claim that misdiagnosis of Lyme disease is a big problem and can result in

improper treatment of the child. One such incident was presented in hearings

held in February 2004 by the FDA to review the use of antidepressants to treat

children.

In those hearings a concerned parent, Van Syckel, told how her daughter,

, was placed on Paxil, a drug known to cause severe reactions in

children if applied inappropriately. had been diagnosed with

depression and anorexia nervosa when she actually had Lyme Disease.

" My daughter self-mutilated, became psychotic, became violent, attempted

suicide twice, " told the panel.

Van Syckel said that her daughter had suffered greatly, " all because she was

misdiagnosed " , and asked the panel to, " Please have respect for our children " .

Dr. Ray , a noted pediatrician focusing on Lyme disease in

children, states that although Lyme disease is most commonly transmitted by the

bite of a tick it can also be transmitted from a mother to her unborn child (in

utero) and to young children through breast milk.

" These children, frequently floppy with poor muscle tone, are irritable and

ill early in their lives with frequent fevers, increased incidence of ear and

throat infections, pneumonia, joint and body pain. "

" Lyme disease has a profound negative impact on a child's life, cognitive

function and ability to perform maximally in school. "

Dr says, " When Lyme disease is a possible diagnosis, the children should

be evaluated by a Lyme knowledgeable physician who will continue antibiotic

therapy until all Lyme symptoms resolve. "

Another speaker at the " Current Controversies in Pediatric Lyme Disease "

conference will be Dr. , MD. Dr. is a practicing

physician and is past president of the International Lyme and Associated

Diseases Society (ILADS), the only professional medical organization in the

world devoted exclusively to tick-borne illnesses. ILADS is dedicated to

providing a forum for health science professionals to share their wealth of

knowledge regarding the management of Lyme and associated diseases.

Dr. says that even though Lyme disease is caused by a complex

bacterial agent carried and spread by ticks, " The Lyme bacteria have the

ability to evade immune destruction, entrench themselves deep within tissues and

migrate throughout the body causing a multi-system illness that can be baffling

to many physicians. " " The result is that one tiny tick bite can cause

innumerable symptoms running the gamut from muscle and joint pain to heart

disease to neurological and even psychiatric illness. " , states .

Lyme patients may be misdiagnosed as having other serious diseases such as

lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and psychiatric disorders.

" The take-home message is " , says Dr. , " Lyme disease may be hard to

diagnose and difficult, if not impossible, to fully eradicate if not caught

early. "

The " Current Controversies in Pediatric Lyme Disease " conference is mainly

focused on the medical professional and offers continuing medical education

(CME) credits for the attendees. Optional " Grand Rounds on Pediatric Lyme " is

scheduled for 12:30 - 1:30 pm Friday January 27. The main conference is being

held Saturday, January 28.

Registration is complimentary for medical professionals but space is limited.

To check to see if space is still available and to register you can email:

CME@... or FAX: 727-767-8601. For more information or to register by

phone call All Children's Hospital in St. sburg, FL (727) 898-7451.

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