Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Chronic Disease " Not so easy to Diagnose

By Lydia Peru

You know something is wrong. You are tired far too often, and the pain you feel is constant. Your body temperature is off kilter as well. Is it the result of depression, or is the depression another symptom of some physical problem?

Its not always the easiest task to properly diagnose a chronic condition. Many are diagnosed based on the collection of symptoms, like fibromyalgia, and through a process of elimination.

With all the advances we have made in our medical and research communities it seems that there should be tests and treatments that can help or cure chronic conditions. Is this wishful thinking? Yes, but realistic, too. The fact is that chronic conditions are difficult to trace.

Since so many of the autoimmune conditions we face these days have similar symptoms there is often a trail and error diagnosing process, eliminating possible causes. MS, for example, is difficult to diagnose, and is often seen in the progression of symptoms. There is no clear answer as to the cause of MS. Treatment is also variable, and usually manages the symptoms instead of improving the state of health.

Other autoimmune diseases present themselves with similar symptoms and are often diagnosed through the elimination of other possible conditions rather than proof of the final diagnosis. These ailments include fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, lupus, and other autoimmune or neurodegenerative diseases. Even rheumatoid arthritis falls in this classification.

Lyme disease is another of those multi-symptom diseases that shares symptoms with other autoimmune disorders. Lyme is known to be caused by borrelia bacteria, which is commonly transmitted by ticks, and may be more common than we think.

Now we know the challenges that are faced in diagnosing chronic autoimmune disorders. Once the diagnosis is decided the treatment may not be clear. Our traditional treatment using antibiotics has been widely overused, and now we face resistant pathogens. - 16004

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