Re: Controlled trial ABX persistant lyme

From: derdrittemann (derdrittemann2003_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 07/09/04 

Date: 8 Jul 2004 17:03:44 -0700

a_weisman@yahoo.com (A_Weisman) wrote in message news:<e55e6d97.0407081045.7199c939@posting.google.com>...
> derdrittemann2003@yahoo.com (derdrittemann) wrote in message news:<f2af2263.0407070622.5531f228@posting.google.com>...
> <snip>
>
> > I have not seen the study since its original publication...but it was
> > my recollection that the largest single group at the time the study
> > was prematurely terminated was the group that was taking
> > antibiotics...and reported that they were doing better. (Although the
> > numerical differences were slight...the study was ceased on the basis
> > that the percentage difference could not approach statistical
> > signifigance...which is somewhat misleading in and of itself...given
> > the very samll numbers).

Thank you for posting this!(I have been turning the place upside down
looking for my copy)...the following is the part that I was referring
to:

 
> "Given
> these definitions, 28 of the 51 patients in the combined antibiotic
> groups
> (55 percent) had improved health status as measured by the FIQ at 180
> days,

> as compared with 22 of the 53 patients in the combined placebo groups
> (42
> percent) (P=0.17). Conversely, 14 percent of the patients in the
> antibiotic

> groups (7 of 51) had worsened health status as measured by the FIQ at
> 180
> days, as compared with 19 percent (10 of 53) in the placebo groups
> (P=0.48)".

At termination...the largest group is the "combined antibiotic group"
with "improved health"...at 55%, 28 of 51...in raw numbers...yet the
percentage difference is not "signifigant" according to the
definitions they had constructed...or likely to become "signifigant"
as they projected into the future, apparently.

What is also sort of ironic about this study is that it very much
depended on patient reporting of symptoms...one of the major problems
with the entire controversy...and "evidence-based medicine".

I guess it was okay if Klempner did it.

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