By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

A new study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) journal, Emerging Infectious Diseasesestimates an average of ≈476,000 patients received a diagnosis of Lyme disease each year (95% credible interval 405,000–547,000) during 2010–2018, this is up from ≈329,000 persons annually in the United States for the years 2005–2010.

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Image/CDC

The data is taken from insurance claims from IBM Watson Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Databases for inpatient, outpatient, and prescription services covering >25 million privately insured US residents <65 years of age.

“Our estimate addresses the last of these; it reflects the overall societal and clinical burden of Lyme disease”, the researchers say.

The authors conclude: Our findings underscore the large clinical burden associated with Lyme disease diagnoses in the United States. Evolving electronic medical and laboratory systems should help fill demonstrable data gaps and enable more robust and reliable monitoring of changes in the magnitude and spread of the disease. Effective interventions are needed, and improved awareness among clinicians and the public is paramount to foster early and accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.