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tickborneICD-10: A69.20ICD-10: A69.21ICD-10: A69.22ICD-10: A69.23ICD-10: A69.29
Lyme Disease
The most prevalent arthropod-borne infectious disease in the U.S., caused by Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by Ixodes ticks.
US Prevalence
2.0M
estimated affected individuals
Annual New Cases
476.0K
new diagnoses per year
Diagnostic Delay
4.4 years
average time to diagnosis
Annual Cost / Patient
$2,032
national burden: $712M-$1.3B/year
Key Facts
Critical data points clinicians and policymakers should know
- 476,000 diagnosed annually (CDC)
- Two-tier testing has <50% sensitivity in early stage
- 10-20% develop persistent symptoms (Lyme-IACCI)
- Erythema migrans rash present in ~70-80% of cases
- No dedicated ICD-10 code for chronic Lyme/PTLDS
Related Symptoms
16 documented symptoms across 7 body systems
5
neurological
- Brain Fog / Cognitive Dysfunction
- Headache
- Numbness / Tingling
- Facial Palsy / Bell's Palsy
- Memory Loss
3
musculoskeletal
- Joint Pain / Arthralgia
- Muscle Pain / Myalgia
- Neck Stiffness
2
systemic
- Chronic Fatigue
- Fever / Chills
2
psychiatric
- Anxiety
- Depression
2
sensory
- Light Sensitivity
- Tinnitus
1
autonomic
- Dizziness / Lightheadedness
1
dermatological
- Erythema Migrans Rash
Symptom Overlap with Other Conditions
Conditions that share symptoms with Lyme Disease, ranked by number of shared symptoms. High overlap can contribute to misdiagnosis and diagnostic delay.
Long COVID12 shared
75% of Lyme Disease symptomsChronic FatigueBrain Fog / Cognitive DysfunctionJoint Pain / ArthralgiaHeadacheDizziness / LightheadednessMuscle Pain / MyalgiaNumbness / TinglingFever / ChillsAnxietyDepressionMemory LossTinnitus
ME/CFS9 shared
56% of Lyme Disease symptomsChronic FatigueBrain Fog / Cognitive DysfunctionJoint Pain / ArthralgiaHeadacheMuscle Pain / MyalgiaAnxietyDepressionMemory LossLight Sensitivity
Fibromyalgia7 shared
44% of Lyme Disease symptomsChronic FatigueBrain Fog / Cognitive DysfunctionJoint Pain / ArthralgiaMuscle Pain / MyalgiaNumbness / TinglingDepressionLight Sensitivity
POTS5 shared
31% of Lyme Disease symptomsChronic FatigueBrain Fog / Cognitive DysfunctionHeadacheDizziness / LightheadednessAnxiety
Economic Impact
Published economic burden data for Lyme Disease
Per-Patient OOP Cost
$1,252
Hook et al. 2022, CDC/EID (2022)
Per-Patient Societal Cost
$2,032
Hook et al. 2022, CDC/EID (2022)
PTLDS Annual Premium
+$3,798
Adrion et al. 2015, Johns Hopkins (2015)
National Annual Burden
$712M-$1.3B
Johns Hopkins 2015 (2015)
Rural Claims Growth
357%
FAIR Health 2007-2021 (2021)
Severity at a Glance
Comparative metrics placing Lyme Disease in context
Long COVID18.0M
Fibromyalgia10.0M
ME/CFS3.3M
POTS3.0M
Lyme Disease (this condition)2.0M
Alpha-gal Syndrome450.0K
Take Action
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Data sourced from CDC, Census Bureau (HPS), CMS, NIH, AHRQ, and peer-reviewed literature. Last updated August 2026.