Top 20 U.S. hospitals with the most Lyme disease diagnoses

Which hospital has diagnosed Lyme disease the most?

Wayne Memorial Hospital, located in Pennsylvania, ranks at the top of our list for hospitals with the most Lyme disease diagnoses with a total of 1,223 diagnoses in 2021. Other hospitals on our list include Cleveland Clinic Main Campus in Ohio (746 diagnoses), Pen Bay Medical Center in Maine (614 diagnoses) and Stony Brook University Hospital in New York (382 diagnoses).

All the hospitals featured on our list are located either along the eastern coast of the U.S. or in the Mid-West. It makes sense for these facilities to be diagnosing Lyme disease more often than hospitals elsewhere in the country, as the blacklegged tick is abundantly found in these areas. According to the CDC, the blacklegged tick is the most common carrier of Lyme disease.

What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is the most common type of vector-borne disease in the United States. The disease is usually caused by a specific kind of bacteria transmitted to a human during a tick bite. While anyone can be susceptible to a tick bite, people who spend a lot of time outdoors in wooded or grassy areas are at higher risk.

Generally speaking, a tick must be attached to a person for more than 24 hours to spread bacteria.

Lyme disease treatment

Like with many infectious diseases, antibiotics are used to treat Lyme disease. This treatment method helps the human immune system fight against the bacteria that cause the disease.

What happens if Lyme disease goes untreated?

When left untreated, Lyme disease can produce a wide range of symptoms depending on the stage of the infection.

In an article published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, Lyme disease is divided into three stages. Each stage and common symptoms are described below:

• Stage 1: This stage may last for 1 – 30 days. Common symptoms include rash, fever, muscle and joint aches and more.
• Stage 2: This stage may last for 3 – 10 weeks. Flu-like symptoms may be accompanied by disturbances in memory, mood and sleep, pink eye, facial paralysis and more.
• Stage 3: If Lyme disease is not treated effectively in the first two stages, then it may become chronic. The patient may develop arthritis in one or more joints, and experience skin disorders and other symptoms. At this stage, symptoms may last for months or years.

Which ticks carry Lyme disease?

Not all ticks carry Lyme disease. The CDC reports that the blacklegged tick, also known as the deer tick, is the most common transmitter of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. However, other species of ticks are known to carry other diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Heartland virus and more.

You can use the CDC’s Tick Bite Data Tracker for information about the frequency of tick bites across every species of tick in your region and to learn more about safely avoiding ticks.

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