Up to four times as many Americans are suffering from Lyme disease than ten and a half years ago, an insurance claims study has suggested another sign that the disease is more common.
Analysis by FAIR Health, owner of one of America’s largest damage databases, found a 357% increase in tick-borne disease claims in rural areas from 2007 to 2021. However, there was an increase in cities where it increased by 65 percent in the same period.
Experts warned that more people than ever before in the United States are getting Lyme disease. But the resurgence may also stem from increased awareness of the “invisible disease”, thanks to high-profile cases among celebrities like singer Shania Twain and socialite Yolanda Hadid.
People claiming to have recovered from the disease today urged Americans to “take it seriously,” adding that they may have symptoms in the coming years.
FAIR Health’s analysis looked at more than 36 billion private health investigations filed in most of the 50 states of the United States.
Yolanda Hadid (left) and Shania Twain (right) are among the celebrities who have contracted Lyme disease. Experts say this may have increased awareness of the condition.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by a tick bite. It causes a round rash and can cause flu-like symptoms, but it usually gets better with antibiotics within weeks or months. Pictured: Tick stock
For analysis, FAIR Health experts looked at more than 36 billion private health claims from 50 U.S. states for anyone talking about Lyme disease.
They looked like antibiotics and long-term symptoms like fatigue, muscle aches, and confusion.
Doctors say that even if patients are treated quickly, the effects of the disease can last for months.
The distribution of data by region showed that in 2021, mostly urban New Jersey had the most Lyme disease complaints.
But mostly nationwide, Vermont and Maine had the second and third highest number of claims.
But analysts also drew attention to 2017 data that showed North Carolina had the third highest number of claims they said had spread the disease to new areas.
FAIR Health did not disclose the raw numbers behind the percentages as “not informative”.
When DailyMail.com contacted him, a spokesperson pointed to a Johns Hopkins page in Baltimore, Maryland, which listed monthly figures for US states as requests per 100,000 people. It did not provide an overall figure for the country or for rural versus urban areas.
Awareness of Lyme disease has increased in recent years, with celebrities catching the disease.
Shania Twain was diagnosed with the disease in the early 2000s, and she said it was “pretty scary” because she felt dizzy on stage and began to faint.
Last year, Yolanda Hadid announced she was diagnosed with the “invisible illness” that she says has transformed her from a social butterfly into a butterfly with anxiety, brain fog and flu-like symptoms.
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also increased its estimates of the number of people who will get Lyme disease by a third, a sign that it is on the rise.
In 2014, they claimed 300,000 people were infected every 12 months. But last year they increased it to 476,000.
Robin Gelburd, President of FAIR Health, said their data showed that the disease continues to be a “growing public health problem”.
FAIR Health will continue to use the complaints repository to provide useful and relevant information to health stakeholders who want to better understand the ongoing increase in Lyme disease cases.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is usually bitten and caught by ticks hiding in tall grass and forests.
Most cases can be easily treated with antibiotics if caught in the early stages, but remaining cases can lead to ongoing symptoms.
The disease initially causes fever and muscle aches within 3 to 30 days of the bite.
A bull’s-eye-shaped rash (medically called erythema) may appear around the bite site, which is usually red but rarely hot or painful.
If left, patients may experience severe, stabbing headaches and dizziness on one side of the face.
In some cases, they can cause inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, leading to behavior and memory problems.
Source: Daily Mail
I am Anne Johnson and I work as an author at the Fashion Vibes. My main area of expertise is beauty related news, but I also have experience in covering other types of stories like entertainment, lifestyle, and health topics. With my years of experience in writing for various publications, I have built strong relationships with many industry insiders. My passion for journalism has enabled me to stay on top of the latest trends and changes in the world of beauty.
