Ticks Ixodes pacificus (shown here in CDC image) and Ixodes scapularis are known vectors of Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease)

National data confirm that diagnoses of Lyme disease begin to rise each year during the month of April, then rapidly reach their peak in June and July. Just in time for “Lyme season,” readers can learn more about the disease in “Lyme Disease: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention” in this month’s AJN.

Lyme disease was first recognized in 1975 in Lyme, Connecticut. From 492 confirmed cases in 1982 (the first year in which Lyme was a reportable disease) to more than 35,000 confirmed and probable cases in 2016, the causative organism, Borrelia burgdorferi, has continued to expand its geographic reach. The CE article notes that these numbers may be undercounts and cites analysis of laboratory and medical claims data from 2008 suggesting that the true number of annual diagnoses may actually be between 240,000 to 444,000. 

Lyme disease is currently found primarily in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, from Maine to Virginia; in the North Central region, especially Wisconsin and Minnesota; and on the West Coast, particularly in northern California. But the disease should be on the radar of nurses throughout the country. It is often “imported” into non-endemic states after people travel to areas where Lyme disease is endemic, enjoy outdoor activities, and then return home with symptoms of the disease.

In our April article, authors Susan Kane Patton and Bailey Phillips summarize current knowledge of Lyme disease etiology, epidemiology, symptoms, diagnostic testing, and treatment. Have you seen much Lyme disease in your local area and/or in your practice?