Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delays in diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases endemic to southeastern USA.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was marked by an increase in diagnosis and treatment delays for a range of medical conditions. Yet the impact of the pandemic on the management of tick-borne diseases, which frequently manifest as an acute febrile illness similar to COVID-19, has not been well described.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study of patients with suspected tick-borne disease attending the University of North Carolina Health facilities, we compared the timeliness of diagnosis and treatment in a "pre-COVID" period (March 2019 to February 2020) and a "post-COVID" period (March 2020 to February 2021). Participants included patients with an ICD-10 diagnosis code of spotted fever group rickettsiosis or ehrlichiosis and a positive Ricketts

SUBMITTER: Arahirwa V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10463840 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature