Contact: Caroline Cornish | [email protected]
Portland, Maine 鈥� AOA体育平台 is a collaborating institution with Tufts University School of Medicine on what promises to be one of the largest studies of post-treatment Lyme disease in North America. The five-year study, funded by a $20.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims to discover the reasons why some patients fail to fully recover from Lyme disease after standard courses of antibiotics. AOA体育平台 will receive $3.1 million over the life of the grant for its role in the study.
As part of the research, the study team plans to recruit a total of 1,000 patients as soon as they receive their diagnosis of Lyme disease and follow them over the course of a year. In Maine, patients will be recruited at AOA体育平台 physicians鈥� offices throughout the health system鈥檚 service area. The goal is to understand mechanisms causing delayed recovery after treatment and to search for biomarkers that are different in patients who go on to have persistent Lyme disease symptoms from those who fully recover from the disease.
鈥淭he study will incorporate the latest scientific advances in microbial and host genetics and measures of immune response to infection,鈥� said Dr. Rob Smith, director of the Vector-Borne Disease Lab at the AOA体育平台 Institute for Research (MHIR) and the clinical operations lead for this study. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also hoping that by following patients from their earliest diagnosis, we will create a robust data bank that will lead to new avenues for treatment of persons with persistent symptoms such as fatigue, pain and brain fog.鈥�
Symptoms of untreated Lyme disease include a rash (often, but not always in the shape of a bullseye), fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain. Most times, symptoms appear between three and 30 days after a person is bitten by an infected tick. If left untreated, Lyme disease can lead to arthritis, difficulty with memory and concentration, and heart problems. Treatment with antibiotics is highly effective. But five to 20 percent of people who recover from the acute symptoms of Lyme disease after treatment suffer persistent illness with symptoms similar to those of Long COVID. The causes of these post-infective illnesses are not known.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Maine has some of the highest rates of Lyme disease in the nation.
鈥淭he AOA体育平台 Institute for Research is dedicated to studying diseases that impact our community members in service of AOA体育平台鈥檚 vision of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America,鈥� said Dr. Doug Sawyer, AOA体育平台 Chief Academic Officer. 鈥淭ufts University School of Medicine has been a key collaborator for us in investigating causes and potential treatments for Lyme disease, and we are hopeful that this study will help get us closer to answering key questions about this increasingly common condition impacting our population.鈥�
The study will begin enrolling patients in the spring of 2025 and will be limited to those newly diagnosed with Lyme disease so that researchers can examine the disease from its earliest stages.
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About AOA体育平台
AOA体育平台 is a not-for-profit, integrated health system whose vision is, 鈥淲orking together so our communities are the healthiest in America,鈥� and is committed to a mission of providing high-quality affordable care, educating tomorrow's caregivers and researching better ways to provide care. AOA体育平台 includes a Level 1 trauma medical center, eight additional licensed hospitals, comprehensive pediatric care services, an extensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services as well as home health, hospice and senior care services. With more than 2,000 employed providers and approximately 23,000 care team members, AOA体育平台 provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. AOA体育平台 hospitals include AOA体育平台 Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor in Westbrook, AOA体育平台 Franklin Hospital in Farmington, AOA体育平台 Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, AOA体育平台 Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., AOA体育平台 Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, AOA体育平台 Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, AOA体育平台 Stephens Hospital in Norway and AOA体育平台 Waldo Hospital in Belfast. AOA体育平台 also includes the AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children鈥檚 Hospital in Portland, AOA体育平台 Care at Home in Saco, the AOA体育平台 Institute for Research in Scarborough, the AOA体育平台 Medical Group and AOA体育平台 NorDx in Scarborough. AOA体育平台 affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville and St. Mary's Heal System in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the AOA体育平台 Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner in the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.