DRG Category: 868

Mean LOS: 5.4 days

Description MEDICAL: Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with CC

classification section:



Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that is an acute recurrent inflammatory disease characterized by periods of exacerbation and remissions. This disease is named for the town in Connecticut where it was first recognized in the 1970s. In the past 10 years, the number of cases has ranged from approximately 10,000 to 15,000 in the United States, making it the leading tick-borne disease in the United States.

Lyme disease typically begins in summer or early fall and develops in three stages with varying, progressive symptoms over weeks and months if untreated. The most frequent carrier of the disease is the deer tick, a small insect the size of a poppy seed. The deer tick is predominantly found in the New England and mid-Atlantic states, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and northern California, although cases of Lyme disease have been documented in 48 states. Severe long-term effects occur in fewer than 10% of untreated cases. Complications include pericarditis and myocarditis, cardiac dysrhythmias, encephalitis, peripheral neuropathies, and arthritis. Incubation lasts 7 to 10 days, but diagnosis generally must wait for 4 to 6 weeks after the patient is bitten by a tick in order to make laboratory tests reliable.