Lyme disease is a bacterial tickborne disease that is treated with a short course of antibiotics. Most patients with Lyme disease recover fully after treatment, but about 5 to 10 percent can have prolonged symptoms such as fatigue, pain, and difficulty thinking, as a result of their infection. Some patients are concerned that their long-term symptoms may be due to Lyme disease and may take potentially harmful treatments, such as extended courses of antibiotics. The American Medical Association (AMA), in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has developed a new toolkit to help clinicians provide better care for patients with prolonged, non-specific symptoms and concerns about Lyme disease. On Thursday, the CDC hosted a CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Call, during which presenters shared a brief overview of Lyme disease, provided a diagnostic and management framework for patients with prolonged symptoms and concerns about Lyme disease, and reviewed new clinical tools and resources to help support these patients.
