ER Visits for Tick Bites Highest in Over a Decade. How to Protect Yourself

on PinterestCDC data show that more people are seeking emergency room treatment for tick bites, which can lead to Lyme disease.

on PinterestCDC data show that more people are seeking emergency room treatment for tick bites, which can lead to Lyme disease. Image Credit: Iryna Shepetko/Stocksy

• Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that a rise in tick bites is causing higher-than-usual emergency room (ER) visits.
• Tick bites can lead to Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can be difficult to diagnose and treat.
• Climate change may be partially responsible for the higher tick populations in many regions of the United States.

Growing tick populations across the United States are leading to more tick bites.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tick bites are causing a higher-than-usual number of emergency room (ER) visits.

As of April, the Northeast saw the largest increase in tick-related ER visits. These rates are far higher than in other parts of the United States. The Midwest is the second-most-affected region.

Tick bites can cause Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can be difficult to diagnose and treat.

“This trend is consistent with a broader pattern of increasing tick-borne disease burden in the United States,” said Robert Glatter, MD, attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital and assistant professor of Emergency Medicine at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell.

“An estimated 400,000–470,000 cases of Lyme disease are now diagnosed annually in the U.S., and this number has been rising over the past two decades. Higher ER visits for tick bites likely reflect both a true increase in tick encounters and growing public awareness of tick-borne illness,” Glatter told Healthline.

Tick bites drive rise in ER visits

Around 31 million people in the United States are bitten by a tick each year. According to the CDC’s Tick Bite Tracker, visits to the emergency room in many parts of the country are currently higher than usual.

All regions, except the South Central areas, reported the highest weekly number of tick bite ER visits since 2017.

“Emergency departments in endemic areas should be prepared for a corresponding rise in patients presenting with early Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections during peak season (May through August),” said Glatter.

Tick bites can lead to various illnesses, including:

• Lyme disease
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• alpha-gal syndrome

Lyme disease, in particular, is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States.

Symptoms of Lyme disease

Lyme disease symptoms can begin 3 to 30 days after a tick bite, making the infection difficult to detect.

One of the earliest signs of Lyme disease is a “bull’s-eye” rash known as erythema migrans. This rash occurs at the site of the tick bite. It usually has a central red spot surrounded by a clear area, with a red edge.

People with lighter skin may have a rash that’s solid red, while people with darker skin may have a rash that resembles a bruise. It may be warm to the touch, but it’s not painful and doesn’t itch.

Other symptoms of stage 1 Lyme disease include:

• vision changes
• chills
• fever
• sore throat
• enlarged lymph nodes
• fatigue
• muscle aches
• headaches

Causes of shifting Lyme disease cases

According

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