Doctor cleared of misdiagnosing Lyme disease

In a decision made public yesterday, the board concluded there was insufficient evidence to support allegations that Dr. Lelia H. Zackrison had misdiagnosed Lyme disease in certain patients and then treated them with prolonged courses of antibiotics and other drugs.

Dozens of Zackrison's patients and supporters showed up this week in Fredericksburg for a hearing on the charges, which involved care for three patients dating back to May 1999.

Zackrison, in support letters and among members of the National Capital Lyme Disease Association, has been portrayed as a target of the medical establishment that argues that some patient symptoms result from conditions not related to Lyme disease.

These "charges are at the heart of the Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment debate," notices sent out by the National Capital group said, urging its members to write letters supporting the Fairfax doctor to the medical board and Zackrison's lawyer, R. Harrison Pledger Jr.

Lyme disease, which can cause severe, recurrent headaches and nerve damage, is most often found in the Northeast but it is believed to be occurring with more frequency farther south. The disease is carried by deer ticks; about 100 cases a year turn up in Virginia but the diagnosis is often uncertain.

In one of the charges, Zackrison allegedly diagnosed a patient with Lyme disease despite a lack of corroborating evidence and tests that conflicted about the presence of the disease. She ordered that the patient have a catheter and undergo a 12-week course of drugs.

But the patient sought a second opinion which resulted in a finding of no Lyme disease, Lupus or reactive arthritis. The patient was treated for fibromyalgia and malnourishment.

The decision yesterday concluded that Zackrison's care for the three patients was not optimal but that there was no clear evidence that there was a violation of state law or regulations. Nor did the allegations involve actual evidence of patient harm.