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I have some theorys and would like to know, how many of you have low platelet counts or thin blood?

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Lyme Disease
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Posted 9/8/2009 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
Something occurred to me--

Is your blood bright red and runny,  or dark and thick?

Theory #1

First of all,  if someone has thin blood wouldn't it be easier for the tick to get it's meal more quickly and infect someone more quickly?  I mean,  if two people drink 8 ounces of a beverage through a straw,  one is water, the other is a shake,  it's obvious the person drinking the shake would take longer whereas the person drinking the water would be done in just seconds.  So then perhaps people with thinner blood are more susceptible to or can be infected more quickly due to a tick finishing its blood meal more quickly.  (If this is true,  it could shoot the whole time a tick must be attached theory out the door.)

Ok theory #2

I read that some recent studies show that platelets also play an important role in aiding the body's immune system,  but this is rarely considered--low platelets mean thin blood but there is little acknowledgement that this also means the immune system is not working properly or that lack of platelets can affect the immune system response to bacterial infections.

#3

I'm also thinking thin blood would make it easier for the nasty little bacteria to swim around and do their damage more quickly.

So I'm thinking,  low platelets or thin blood means,  quicker meal for the tick,  and inhibited immune response,  and ideal swimming conditions,  which could also explain why people who may have Lyme disease may have gotten it more easily,  and may not show the immunoglobulins/IgG/IgM on the Western Blot tests.  (IgG/IgM show up when the immune system is fighting off bacteria,  if there arent enough platelets to assist this process,  maybe the IgG/IgM simply are not being produced properly and therefore wouldn't show up in a test.)

I haven't been able to find any studies which addressed or considered the probablility or improbability of this,  but maybe one or some of you would know an expert who could research this theory?

And what do you think about it?  Does this make sense?  I tend to overanalyze things but what are your opinions?

Posted 9/9/2009 10:26 AM (GMT 0)
Interesting theories...

The tick may inject blood thinners into the bite site to make feeding easier...but I don't think these blood thinners have enough effect to bring down platelet levels on a blood test, nor are the effects likely to last beyond the time the tick is attached...

Here's what I do know:

Lyme bacteria move through tissue easier than blood, possibly due to their cork screw shape - this is one reason blood PCR tests (PCR tests look for DNA of the Lyme bacteria - different than looking for the body's response via antibodies to the Lyme such as is measured by the usual Lyme blood tests) seldom give a positive result.

I also know Lyme can stimulate the production of fibrin, which thickens blood (fibrin is a component of blood clots and also of bacterial biofilm communities).

Lyme ELISA, IFA, & WB tests are inaccurate for many reasons:

* immune suppression, caused by Lyme and/or pre-existing issue(s)
* the tests look only for one (or maybe 2) strain of Lyme (at least 100 strains exist in the US)
* Lyme bacteria constantly change their outer surface proteins, resulting in an unending need for the immune system to re-identify and manufacture new antibodies
* the known time delay between initial infection and the body's ability to generate sufficient antibodies to be detectable on the test
* the exclusion of certain Lyme-specific bands on main-stream lab Lyme tests
* the bonding of antibodies to Lyme bacteria, thus free antibodies are unavailable in sufficient quantities to show up on the test
* since Lyme prefers tissue, the antibodies may be infiltrating the tissue instead of floating around in the blood stream
* and probably other reasons I am not remembering/aren't aware of

Lyme usually causes inflammation. Inflammation tends to increase platelet counts and thicken blood.

I think persistant blood thinning may be from nutritional deficiency secondary to malabsorption (e.g., Vitamin K) or other coinfections (possibly Anaplasma/Ehrlichia or others) more than directly from Lyme bacteria itself...not saying Lyme can't decrease platelet counts or cause thinner blood, just that it is more likely coming from another cause or as an effect of something else the Lyme has done to the body.

Cheers,

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