National consultant dispels doubts. ILADS method should not be used in Lyme disease

The national consultant in infectious diseases recalls that the ILADS method has become a common basis in clinical practice in Poland for long-term (even more than a year or several years) use of many antibiotics, often in combinations (including B-lactams, rifampicin, metronidazole, macrolides and others). Such treatment, however, does not result from any recommendations. Moreover, no randomized clinical trials confirm the effectiveness of this method, instead, cases of complications resulting from prolonged antibiotic intake have been very well described.

"I take a negative view of the use of the ILADS method in the treatment of Lyme disease. This method is overused and leads to chronic and combined use of antibiotics while neglecting to look for other causes of (also non-specific) symptoms, often by people without specialization in infectious diseases, which is a significant risk for patients and population-wise in the context of antibiotic resistance selection, and therefore should not be used. The treatment of Lyme disease should be carried out by specialists and doctors in the course of specialization in infectious diseases in outpatient clinics and hospital wards dedicated to this specialty," writes Prof. Milosz Parczewski.

According to the national consultant, efforts should be made to increase access to Infectious Disease Outpatient Clinics, as well as to improve the valuation of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures related to Lyme disease to include the possibility of differential diagnosis (including degenerative and rheumatologic diseases). Treatment of Lyme disease should be carried out in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine and recommendations.