Hundreds Attend Lyme Disease Seminar As A New Season Begins

By Steve Bigham

Newtown resident Georgette Sgammato suffers from Lyme disease. She was diagnosed on February 20. Her friend, Nancy Zitnay, had it for 18 months before finally ridding her body of the disease. Both women attended Monday night’s “Seminar on Lyme Disease” at the Fireside Inn hoping to find out more information on what has become the second fastest growing infectious disease behind AIDS.

They joined about 500 others who attended the event to find out more about a disease which has been widely misunderstood and misdiagnosed for many years. The Newtown Rotary Club and the Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force sponsored the forum.

Mrs Sgammatto, who has lived in town with her husband for 45 years, said this week’s forum gave her added information and is prompting her to ask more questions. She went two years with aches and pains before finally being diagnosed.

“I’m going to look further because I don’t think the doctors know all there is to know about this,” she said. “I had some treatment for Lyme disease, but after all that I heard tonight, I’m sure I should have more.”

Lyme disease is caused by a tick bite and, if not properly treated, can become a chronic problem. Whoever thought a walk in the woods could be so dangerous?

“It almost knocks you over. You can get cramps. These are all symptoms that you would never think a little bitty thing like that could do it. But it did,” she said.

Lyme disease also hits your brain. According to keynote speaker Dr Brian Fallon, a foremost expert on the issue, Lyme disease has been shown to cause neurological or psychiatric symptoms in many cases. It can cause disturbances of memory, attention, mood, and sleep. What’s worse, the disease seems to particularly like children and has proven to be a fine imitator, presenting itself as many different conditions. Dr Fallon, a psychiatrist, used the example of one man who was treated for hypochondria for an extended period of time before test results revealed he was indeed suffering from Lyme disease. It is important to keep an open mind about what might be ailing you, he said. It could be Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is marked by aches and pains, stabbing and stinging pain, not to mention sore joints, anxiety, and fatigue. Many of those who have it are longtime sufferers who have been forced to make the illness a daily part of their lives. And, in some cases, Lyme disease can be deadly.

Karen Vanderhoof-Forschner’s son was born with Lyme disease in 1985 and died in 1991 due to numerous complications directly related to the disease. Today, his mother has dedicated much of her life to fighting the disease. She is founder and chair of the Lyme Disease Foundation, a national organization developed as a partnership between the medical research community, private businesses, government, and the general public to help find a solution to Lyme and other tick-born diseases. She also spoke, pointing out that a lack of funding for prevention, treatment, and research has only made efforts to eliminate Lyme disease that much harder. She urged people to always check for ticks and to never give up the fight.

Attorney general Richard Blumenthal, who spoke Monday, has been leading the battle to ensure that Lyme disease patients receive complete coverage from their insurance carriers/HMOs. In 1999, he held hearings in Hartford that resulted in a mandate to protect patients.

“The last thing I ever thought I would be known for is leading in the fight against Lyme disease,” Mr Blumenthal admitted. “I’m proud to sit here with you tonight. This has become an epidemic in Connecticut, but we are sending a signal, making a statement that I think will be heard all across the state and the country.”

Health district Director Mark Cooper’s message was one of prevention and, based on the Newtown figures, his department is targeting young mothers and their children.

“They tend to have a high exposure rate. We need to time our prevention message for early spring so that we can try to reduce the number of reported Lyme disease cases in July and August,” Mr Cooper said.

Interestingly, there are also a high number of cases of elderly women coming down with the disease. The reason, many experts say, is that this portion of the population is retired and tends to spend time outside in the garden.

Monday’s forum also included free testing for Lyme disease for persons aged 18 to 60.

According to organizer Maggie Shaw of the Newtown task force, the objective of the forum was to inform the general public about the dangers of Lyme disease and the preventive measures that need to be taken.

Lyme disease soared in the late 1990s as Americans built more homes in wooded areas, bringing people into contact with ticks. An estimated 17,000 cases of Lyme were reported in 1998 and more than 16,000 in 1999, with the vast majority concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest.

Lyme disease causes fatigue, fever, and joint pain that can persist for weeks, and some patients develop severe arthritis. Lyme also can badly damage the heart and nervous system if it goes untreated by antibiotics.

Signs include rash and flu-like symptoms. Daily tick checks, vaccinations, and insect repellent are recommended as preventive measures.

More than 90 percent of the 1999 cases came from nine states – Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin – where deer ticks are most common.

Massachusetts had 12.7 cases per 100,000 population, which ranked it eighth in the nation.

Connecticut accounted for one in every six reported cases in 1999. The disease is named after Lyme, Conn., where the disease was discovered in 1975.

“The year 2000 saw a record number of cases reported,” said Rotarian Ed Osterman. “It is up to each one of us to be knowledgeable about the prevention or avoidance and symptoms of the disease, which is so prevalent in our area.”