Blacks More Likely to Have Disseminated Manifestations of Lyme Disease
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Dec. 14, 2023 -- Black patients are more likely to be diagnosed with disseminated manifestations of Lyme disease (LD) and experience longer time to appropriate treatment, according to a research letter published online Dec. 12 in JAMA Network Open.
Samuel J. Starke, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study to analyze data from patients with suspected untreated or posttreatment LD. Initial LD presentations were classified as erythema migrans (EM) only; disseminated neurologic, cardiac, or joint disease; or symptoms only, without objective signs. Racial distributions were examined across groups.
The final sample included 1,395 patients; differences were most marked among Black patients, and subsequent analyses compared 1,334 Black and White patients. The researchers found that Black patients had 4.93 times the odds of disseminated disease compared with the EM-only group, after controlling for age and gender. Men also had higher odds of disseminated disease (odds ratio, 1.61). The odds of being in the symptoms-only group were independently higher for Black patients (odds ratio, 2.07), for women (odds ratio, 1.39), and with younger age (odds ratio, 1.12 per 10 years). Compared with White patients, Black patients had a significantly longer median time to appropriate antibiotic treatment (35 versus seven days); this was significant among patients with EM (26 versus four days).
"We identified several racial differences in the clinical presentation and treatment of LD," the authors write. "Efforts are needed to increase patient and clinician awareness to ensure equitable reductions in disease burden."
One author had a patent issued for deep learning for Lyme disease diagnosis.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2023
Read this next
BMI Cutoff of 30 for Obesity May Be Too High for Middle-Aged, Older Adults
FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- The optimal body mass index (BMI) cutoff point appears to be 27 kg/m2 for detecting obesity in middle-aged and older adults, according to a study presented...
Emergency Inguinal Hernia Surgery Rates Increased With Lower Country Income
FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- For patients undergoing inguinal hernia surgery, emergency surgery rates increase from high- to low-income countries, according to a study published online...
Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein Levels Higher in Black Than White Women
FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels are higher in Black than White pregnant women, supporting the use of accounting for these differences in...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.