The CDC suggests that more men are diagnosed with Lyme disease than women. Do more men actually contract Lyme disease?

This statement is not a clear-cut answer as to whether more men contract Lyme than women. Studies suggest that gender bias could be a factor in Lyme diagnoses, and because of this bias, more women are reported to have chronic Lyme disease.

gender bias in lyme testing

Lyme testing gender bias is easily explained.

The CDC western blot test requires reaction of five out of 10 bands to be present for a positive Lyme diagnosis. Men generally have six of 10 bands react, while women present with four, leading to a negative Lyme test. Studies suggest that due to this bias in testing, more women end up with chronic Lyme disease simply because of non-diagnosis. These patients are also commonly misdiagnosed with conditions that have similar symptoms to Lyme, such as chronic fatigue or Fibromyalgia.

Lyme disease testing gender bias

Also read: Lyme Symptoms That Might Surprise You

While the CDC Lyme disease surveillance reports more men with Lyme disease than women, another reporting agency, FAIR Health, says that more women file health insurance claims in treating the disease. Between the ages of 23 and 50, twice as many Lyme disease insurance claims were file by women than men. This is a truly odd phenomena – more men test positive, but more women are actually treated for the disease. Should Lyme disease testing for females meet different criteria than males? Early treatment is essential. If women are showing negative Lyme disease tests, but actually do have the disease, it can become a lifelong battle with chronic illness – and a lifelong battle in finding appropriate treatment.

Also read: 83% of enrolled persistent Lyme sufferers at MyLymeData are female.

Additional studies show that women and men react differently to medications. Women are more likely to have adverse effects to medication than men, suggesting that perhaps medication should be formulated differently by gender. Would this be an answer for more effective treatment of Lyme disease in women?

Tick protection is key in preventing Lyme.

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast — Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

No matter if you are male or female, prevention is key, and can be aided with personal tick protection when you are out of doors. In addition to personal protection, at-home tick control can help prevent unfortunate tick encounters in your own yard. With the prevalence of ticks in Central Mass, professional tick control is essential, and is most effectively employed all year long – not just in the spring and summer. In the warm weather seasons, your yard can be treated with a tick barrier spray that will eliminate ticks on contact, and continue killing them for up to three weeks. When the temperature falls below 45°F, tick tubes can be placed in your yard, which will aid in halting the tick life cycle, resulting in less ticks when springtime rolls around.

Lyme disease treatment — *Treatment of persistent Lyme disease symptoms is a lifelong battle for some.*

There are 30,000 new reports of Lyme disease to the CDC each year in the United States, but that does not account for the annual estimated occurrences of Lyme. One CDC report estimates 329,000 Lyme disease diagnoses per year in a five-year span!

The higher incidence of Lyme is both due to higher tick populations, as well as improvements in diagnosis. But what happens after diagnosis? Do patients receive treatment, and go back to life as usual? Well, some do. Others, regrettably suffer from persistent Lyme disease symptoms, one of the most common is Lyme arthritis. Sufferers of Lyme arthritis endure a lifetime of joint inflammation and life-altering pain.

Lyme arthritis shows the presence of a particular cellular component of Lyme bacteria, called peptidoglycan.

Persistent Lyme arthritis is a lifelong battle for many, with life-altering pain. Some patients, who have tried all available medical treatments seek out holistic methods of pain relief, spending thousands of dollars out-of-pocket each year.

Thanks to Virginia Tech biochemist, Brandon Jutras, there is hope in treatment or even a cure for Lyme arthritis on the scientific horizon! Jutras has found that during the multiplication of Lyme-causing bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, it sheds a cellular component, peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan exists in synovial fluid of Lyme arthritis sufferers, causing inflammation.

“We can actually detect peptidoglycan in the synovial fluid of the affected, inflamed joints of patients that have all the symptoms of Lyme arthritis but no longer have an obvious, active infection,” Jutras said.
Medical Xpress

The next phase of treatment of Lyme arthritis will be to find ways to destroy or eliminate the body’s response to peptidoglycan that comes from Borrelia burgdorferi, effectively eliminating Lyme symptoms!

While these scientific breakthroughs are spreading hope throughout the population of those, who suffer with persistent Lyme disease, there is but one sure method of Central Mass Lyme disease protection, and that is by prevention.

Tick control methods are available, and should be a top priority for Central Mass residents, to prevent ticks from invading their yards and homes. A barrier spray will eliminate ticks on contact, and an additional comprehensive tick tube treatment will further prevent ticks by eliminating them when they take their first blood meal from mice. Call a professional tick control company to protect your home and family!

Category: Chronic Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease: Men vs. Women