A WORCESTER mother has welcomed the findings of a government commissioned enquiry into the diagnosis, treatment and research into Lyme disease.

Claire Sidwell from Cherry Orchard started to develop symptoms of the disease nearly three years ago and despite various assessment by different doctors and other medical professionals as well as blood tests, she has not been officially diagnosed with the debilitating illness.

Lyme disease is as a result of being bitten by a tick carrying the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and Public Health England estimates there are around 3,000 new cases in England and Wales each year.

The symptoms include a bullseye rash, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, headaches, fever and chills, neck stiffness, nausea and digestive problems, painful and swollen joints, problems with the nervous system, memory issues and ‘brain fog’, insomnia, vertigo and anxiety.

This week a government commissioned enquiry conducted at the EPPI Centre at University College London concluded there is no reliable diagnostic test and a lack of awareness of the disease symptoms among doctors and recommended research to ensure a better understanding of it.

It also stated that the number of people in the UK affected by Lyme disease is steadily increasing and there isn’t an effective surveillance system to pick up the disease.

Claire said when she was originally tested, her first blood test came back positive but the second one was negative. The routine test for Lyme disease is a two-tier ELISA blood test to detect and measure antibodies in the blood.

However because she still suffers from vertigo, insomnia, headaches, ‘brain fog’ and balance problems as well as other issues, she had a test done privately which came back positive.

“The NHS test is an antibody test but if your immune system is affected by the disease it may not show up,” said Claire, who had an EliSpot test which she believes is more sensitive to Lyme disease.

“I support better diagnostic testing. The Government needs to do more research. There has been plenty of research done but it has just not been accepted.”

She added: “One of the problems is that the doctors have no knowledge of Lyme disease. It is not mandatory to do training. People are still being misdiagnosed.”

Phones4U and Caudwell LymeCo charity founder John Caudwell was a major driving force behind the enquiry and spoke at the publication of its findings.

He said: “Doctors just have no comprehension of the severity and scale of Lyme disease. I would love to see the health service research the percentage of patients with chronic illnesses who have Lyme disease. I guarantee it would be an eye opener.”

Mr Caudwell and his family suffer from the illness and he has put funding into research and improving awareness through his charity.

The Government has no official policy on Lyme disease and no strategy for improving patient care but the enquiry report comes ahead of the publication of the first ever NICE guidelines in April on how the NHS should treat the disease.

Caudwell LymeCo charity chief officer Veronica Hughes said: “The independent enquiry makes it crystal clear that a lack of scientific knowledge is the root of the problem. We desperately need research to answer fundamental questions on how to diagnose and cure Lyme disease.”