By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Diagnoses of Lyme disease in the United States have soared over the past 15 years, primarily in rural areas in the Northeast, according to a new analysis of private insurance claims by FAIR Health, a nonprofit that tracks healthcare costs and insurance trends.   

Lyme disease is a bacterial illness spread by ticks. Left untreated, it can lead to chronic fatigue, muscle and joint pain, cognitive issues and other long-term symptoms that are often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, neuropathy or autoimmune disorders.

In its analysis of over 36 billion insurance claims from 2007 to 2021, FAIR Health said that claims with a Lyme disease diagnosis rose 357 percent in rural areas and 65 percent in urban areas. The highest rates of Lyme disease were in New Jersey, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

“Lyme disease remains a growing public health concern. FAIR Health will continue to use its repository of claims data to provide actionable and relevant insights to healthcare stakeholders seeking to better understand the ongoing rise of Lyme disease cases,” FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd said in a press release.

The FAIR Health study found that malaise, fatigue and soft-tissue-related symptoms were significantly more common in Lyme patients than in the overall patient population.

Other early symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, chills, headache, and swollen lymph nodes. A delayed rash often appears at the site of the tick bite. The rash grows in size and sometimes resembles a bulls-eye.

Although Lyme disease is treatable with antibiotics, some patients develop long-term symptoms known as Lyme disease syndrome or chronic Lyme disease.

About 30,000 Lyme cases are reported annually by state health departments. The CDC estimates the actual number of cases is probably much higher and that about 300,000 Americans may become infected every year.

Most reported cases of Lyme disease occur in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and upper Midwest, especially during the summer months when more people spend time outdoors. Recent studies show Lyme is spreading to neighboring states and is no longer just a seasonal disease, possibly due to the effects of climate change.