Severity of chronic Lyme disease compared to other chronic conditions: a quality of life survey

Abstract

Overview. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health-related quality of life (HRQoL) indicators are widely used in the general population to determine the burden of disease, identify health needs, and direct public health policy. These indicators also allow the burden of illness to be compared across different diseases. Although Lyme disease has recently been acknowledged as a major health threat in the USA with more than 300,000 new cases per year, no comprehensive assessment of the health burden of this tickborne disease is available. This study assesses the HRQoL of patients with chronic Lyme disease (CLD) and compares the severity of CLD to other chronic conditions.Methods. Of 5,357 subjects who responded to an online survey, 3,090 were selected for the study. Respondents were characterized as having CLD if they were clinically diagnosed with Lyme disease and had persisting symptoms lasting more than 6 months following antibiotic treatment. HRQoL of CLD patients was assessed using the CDC 9-item metric. The HRQoL analysis for CLD was compared to published analyses for the general population and other chronic illnesses using standard statistical methods.Results. Compared to the general population and patients with other chronic diseases reviewed here, patients with CLD reported significantly lower health quality status, more bad mental and physical health days, a significant symptom disease burden, and greater activity limitations. They also reported impairment in their ability to work, increased utilization of healthcare services, and greater out of pocket medical costs.Conclusions. CLD patients have significantly impaired HRQoL and greater healthcare utilization compared to the general population and patients with other chronic diseases. The heavy burden of illness associated with CLD highlights the need for earlier diagnosis and innovative treatment approaches that may reduce the burden of illness and concomitant costs posed by this illness.

In vitro evaluation of antibacterial activity of phytochemicals and micronutrients against Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia garinii

“…1982; Dryden and Hodgkins 2010; Johnson et al . 2014). This disease is transmitted by ticks of the genus Ixodes (Benach et al .…”

“…There are unreported cases, however, that are not reflected in the statistics (Johnson et al . 2014; Stricker and Johnson 2014). …”

Chronic Lyme Disease: A Working Case Definition

“…According to the American Medical Association Code of Medical Ethics, the primary responsibilities of clinical medicine are to alleviate patient suffering and prevent disease (AMA, 2017). As previously described by Johnson et al (2014) and patients with CLD are often quite ill and physicians are charged with finding balanced and effective management strategies for such patients.…”

The conflict on posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome: a clinical mini review

“…[1,2] A sufficient amount of data shows that patients with PTLDS have reduced life functioning than those without the syndrome, [3] or even when compared to patients with other chronic diseases. [4] Intuitively, the presence of PTLDS after recommended treatment is associated with significantly increased health care costs. [5] NOT TO TREAT PTLDS…”