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Winter Storm Hits Maryland, Part 3
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Lyme Disease Reports In Maryland Grow
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Link To Lyme Disease Association More Information On Lyme Disease
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AP
Thanks to our recent rains, doctors are expecting to see even more cases of Lyme disease than usual this summer.
Sally Thorner met a Baltimore man whose life has changed forever, because of a tick bite.
Painting isn't a hobby for Ken Hilker. The 43-year-old husband and father is a professional artist, but a bout with Lyme disease threatens his livelihood.
"I'm an artist, so it affects the days that I go to the studios, if I can paint or not," he said.
Last fall Ken was bitten by a tick. He did everything he was supposed to do. As soon as he saw the rash he called his doctor and took the prescribed antibiotic for a month.
However, soon after he exhibited classic signs of Lyme disease.
"I started feeling fatigued, headaches, achy joints, an arthritis kind of feeling," said Hilker.
Ken has what local doctors and Lyme expert Dr. John Aucott calls "Persistent Lyme disease." It's more common than most people think.
"About 10 or 15 percent of patients get diagnosed, get treated with the standard FDA-approved course of therapy at some point in the next weeks or months have recurrence and persistent symptoms," Dr. Aucott said.
Dr. Aucott says misdiagnosis is a huge stumbling block in the treatment of Lyme. Those rashes are often mistaken for spider bites, other symptoms may be confused with a virus.
Ticks love moisture, so this season is expected to be worse than usual. Experts say it will not be bad just in the Baltimore area. More cases are being diagnosed in western and southern Maryland than ever before.
Ken is one of those cases. The Federal Hill resident used to bike a hundred miles a weekend, now he just goes for walks.
More research is needed to fight the disease.
More than 15,000 cases of Lyme disease have been reported in Maryland since 2000.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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