Lyme disease has reached epidemic proportions, and Cape Cod and the Islands represent a major epicenter of the disease. Between 2010 and 2014, Chilmark and Nantucket had the highest number of cases of Lyme disease per capita of anywhere in the state.
Roughly 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, transmitted through the bite of an infected deer tick.
Doctors are grappling with a growing number of cases of Lyme. They're also contending with a disturbing development -- after treatment, as much as 20 percent of those patients suffer from chronic symptoms, including chronic fatigue, muscle and joint pain, numbness, balance impairment, and memory problems.
Dr. NevenaZubcevik is a brain injury researcher and co-director of the new Dean Center for Tick Borne Illness at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, which focuses on treating the long-term effects of Lyme disease. She is also an instructor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, an attending physician at Spalding and Massachusetts General Hospital.
The Spaulding clinic has seen 400 patients since it opened in June 2015. Dr. Zubcevik says most were leading healthy, active lives before the sudden onset of multiple symptoms.
"Many people can remember the day the symptoms began, or at least the month," she told WCAI.
They come into the clinic with multiple diagnoses that include fibromyalgia, arthritis, migraines, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. The symptoms could be caused by persistent infection, an autoimmune response, or chronic inflammation. The delay in a proper diagnosis can be dangerous as the infection gets deep into the body's tissues, Dr. Zubcevik said.
"We need better tools to diagnose Lyme," she said. Treatments should be evidence-based, but should also pay attention to experiences of patients, the doctor added.
Dr. Zubcevik was working in concussion research when the opportunity arose to get involved in treating long-term Lyme disease syndrome. She was intrigued because the two conditions looked almost identical in a clinical sense. Her work at the clinic has been to offer treatment and relief to long-term Lyme sufferers.
Treatment at the clinic often includes physical therapy, water therapy, nutritional changes, behavior health treatment, pain management, and yoga. Some patients take part in research studies as part of their therapy. One current study is using transcranial direct current stimulation.