Prof Holly Ahern’s Published Lyme Study Results

Comparison of Lyme Disease Prevalence and Disease Reporting in an Endemic Area

http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.microbiology.20130306.11.html#Sec5

Journal of Microbiology Research

doi:10.5923/j.microbiology.20130306.11
Holly Ahern Biology Department, State University of New York at Adirondack, Queensbury, NY, 12804, USA

Carl Tuttle's summary of this significant study:

The Lyme community has been reporting a completely different set of numbers in regards to the statistics of this disease which vary greatly from what the CDC has published and conveyed to the medical community. 
Professor Ahern's survey results were tabulated from a randomly selected population in a Lyme endemic region with no bias in this group to influence results.

2% of the surveyed population reported a diagnosis of Lyme disease. 50% of respondents diagnosed with Lyme disease did not recall a tick bite, 33% developed the bulls-eye rash and 50% remained ill after antibiotic treatment.

In contrast to those numbers the CDC claims that 80% of Lyme patients develop the bulls-eye rash and only a small subset of patients has persistent symptoms. 

It was concluded that Lyme disease reported at just 2% of the population for these three counties represents a possible 7,000 cases at the time of the survey but only 1,930 cases have been reported to the CDC over a nine year period (2002-2011). If you use the 2% conservative number there should have been 63,000 cases reported in just these three counties alone.

In addition, 16% of respondents experienced cardiac, rheumatologic, or neurological symptoms consistent with late-stage Lyme disease.

Comparing late-stage Lyme symptoms to the general population was a brilliant idea because we believe the vast majority of Lyme patients are already in the healthcare system being treated for everything else but Lyme.

Chronic disease is a valuable commodity and there is a high probability that undiagnosed Lyme disease represents a good portion of that that revenue stream.