Leading the Way in the Fight against Tick-Borne Disease Lyme disease is on the rise. So is NYMC’s leadership in the fight to stop tick-borne illnesses.
BY ALI JACKSON-JOLLEY, M.B.A.
W
hen it comes to Lyme and tick-borne disease, the statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) paint a foreboding picture. The CDC estimates 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease annually, while the number of new cases of tickborne disease rose by 22 percent over the prior year. The good news—New York Medical College’s (NYMC) expertise in the arena of tick-born disease is also on the rise. From groundbreaking Lyme-disease diagnostics and novel treatments for deadly tick-borne infection, to research that shines new light on Lyme disease mimicry of Alzheimer’s, NYMC is paving the way in the fight against Lyme and tick borne-illness. 32
C H I R O N I A N 2020
SHINING LIGHT ON LYME MIMICRY Robert Ollar, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of neurology, recently published research that seeks to shine more light on Lyme disease mimicry, a phenomenon in which Lyme manifests symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases. Dr. Ollar’s published report “Neurologists Take Heed, Lyme Neuroborreliosis Mimicry is Afoot,” was presented at the Fourth Annual Lyme Disease in the Era of Precision Medicine Conference last year in New York City. Dr. Ollar, who has written numerous articles on the topic of Lyme neuroborreliosis mimicry manifesting Alzheimer’s-like symptoms versus true Alzheimer’s disease, will be commencing
an investigation in his hometown of Milford, Pennsylvania, where there are an estimated 280,000 Alzheimer’s cases, but no statistics for Alzheimer’s cases where patients test positive for Lyme neuroborreliosis. “In my previous study of patients from Pennsylvania with Lyme disease, 20 percent of these patients were shown to have neurological consequences mimicking the classic symptoms of ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis], MS [multiple sclerosis], Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s. It’s a real problem yet, few people are looking at mimicry today.” Dr. Ollar says his dual background in neurology and microbiology gives him a unique perspective and he is among a small group researching the correlation today.
