FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 

BREAKTHROUGH TEST CAN PINPOINT WHO HAS LYME DISEASE

Advanced Technology Provides Weapon In Early Detection

 

June 25, 2002, Palo Alto, CA — It’s summertime. And that means hikers, campers and just about anyone else who enjoys the outdoors is vulnerable to one of the most misdiagnosed and serious of all diseases. Lyme disease affects as many as 200,000 Americans every year. Symptoms include neurological damage, chronic fatigue and arthritis.

How do you get Lyme disease? From the bite of a tick you won't feel and aren't likely to see. And, because the little culprits are so tiny, most victims won't know they've been bitten and won't seek treatment. That's when years of undiagnosed suffering can begin.

Fifty-year-old Carol Martin of California was gardening in her yard when a tick bit her. For a year, she suffered severe memory loss and painful arthritis before a doctor treated her for Lime disease. Martin says “my family was devastated because I wasn't diagnosed earlier.” Martin now has to flush her body daily with an antibiotic IV surgically implanted in her chest.

Lyme disease symptoms often go undiagnosed because of a lack of specialized testing that isolates the disease. According the Centers for Disease Control the actual number of cases of Lyme disease may be ten times higher than the 20,000 cases reported.

Advanced detection tests are available at laboratories like IGeneX Reference Laboratory in Palo Alto, California. But many doctors aren't aware the advanced tests are available.

President of the Lyme Disease Association, Pat Smith, says, “It’s not just some patients who are clueless about what ticks can do, we see many doctors who aren't educated about Lyme disease and therefore victims don't get adequate treatment.” Those wanting more information from the Lyme Disease Association can call 888–366–6611.

Dr. Harris says the first thing to remember if you see a tick on you is “don't throw it away. Take it to your Physician who can send it to a lab for diagnosis.”

For further information, please contact:

CONTACT INFORMATION
Media Contact	Lyme Disease Expert
Christi O’Connor	Dr. Nick Harris
Medallion Media	IGeneX Reference Laboratory
(415) 883–2491	(650) 424–1191

IGeneX, Inc.
795 San Antonio Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303 USA
Tel. 650.424.1191 / 800.832.3200 Fax. 650.424.1196