Abstract
Background
Lyme disease (LD) is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States and is a significant public health problem. The use of non-standard antibiotic treatment regimens for LD has been associated with adverse effects; however, the overall landscape of treatment has not been described previously. We aimed to describe real-world antibiotic prescribing patterns for LD.
Methods
We performed a retrospective analysis of the MarketScan commercial claims database of outpatient encounters from 2016-2018 in the United States. We identified all individuals with a visit that included an LD diagnosis code and a prescription within 30 days of the visit for one or more of 12 antibiotics that may be prescribed for LD. We then categorized each individual as having received either standard or non-standard treatment during the two-year period. Standard treatment was defined as treatment with a first, second or third-line antibiotic for LD, for no longer than 30 days, and for no more than two episodes during the study period. Descriptive and multivariable analyses were performed to compare characteristics of people who received standard vs non-standard treatment for LD.
Results
A total of 84,769 prescriptions met criteria for inclusion, written for 45,926 unique patients. The mean duration of prescriptions was 21.4 days (SD 10.8). Most individuals (84.5%) treated for LD received standard treatment during the study period. Female gender (OR 1.5, p< 0.0001) and age 19-45 (p=0.0003) were significantly associated with being prescribed non-standard LD treatment. Treatment in low-incidence states (OR 2.2 compared to high-incidence states, p< 0.0001) and during non-summer months (OR 2.2, p< 0.0001) was more likely to be non-standard.
Age distribution of patients receiving treatment for Lyme disease, by gender and age at first prescription
Seasonality of standard versus non-standard treatment of Lyme disease
Conclusion
In this population of employed, young, and insured patients, young and middle-aged women were at the highest risk of receiving non-standard LD treatment. Treatments prescribed in states with low incidence of LD or during non-summer months were also more likely to be non-standard, a trend which likely reflects misdiagnosis or overtreatment of LD. Future studies are needed to further define prescriber and patient factors associated with non-standard LD treatment and related adverse outcomes.
Disclosures
All Authors: No reported disclosures
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