Photo Credit: anakopa

The following is a summary of “Invalidation by medical professionals in post-treatment Lyme disease,” published in the August 2024 issue of Pain by Rebman et al.

A negative perception of care and significant invalidation has been reported in patients with post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD) by medical professionals. The relationship of invalidation to illness severity and the risk factors for invalidation have not been identified. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the correlations between the Illness Invalidation Inventory and measures of symptom severity, quality QoL, and trust in physicians.

They assessed 80 patients who met the criteria for PTLD. Simple unadjusted and multivariate-adjusted linear regression models were generated to study the relationship between invalidation and potential demographic and clinical factors.

The results showed higher scores on the ‘lack of understanding’ and ‘discounting’ subscales of the Illness Invalidation Inventory significantly correlated with greater symptom severity, lower quality of life, and reduced trust in physicians. In adjusted linear regression models, older age (lack of understanding: β = -0.17,  P=0.008; discounting: β = -0.19, P = 0.001, per 10 years) and male gender (lack of understanding: β = -0.49,  P=0.016; discounting: β = -0.51, P= 0.006) were associated with less invalidation. Receiving an alternative diagnosis for PTLD was identified as a mediator in the relationship between gender and invalidation.

They concluded that PTLD is a mediator between gender and invalidation. 

Source: nature.com/articles/s41598-024-70556-7