3 Benefits of Telemedicine for Lyme Disease

Telemedicine for Lyme disease has expanded rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic and may help improve early diagnosis and treatment. A study entitled “The Impact of Telemedicine in the Diagnosis of Erythema Migrans during the COVID Pandemic: A Comparison with In-Person Diagnosis in the Pre-COVID Era,” compared clinical data from 439 patients with an erythema migrans (EM) rash before and after the onset of the pandemic.¹ Participants were treated at an Italian dermatology clinic.

Before the pandemic, most individuals with an EM rash were diagnosed during in-person visits. After the pandemic began, many patients were evaluated using telemedicine.

1. Earlier Lyme Disease Treatment

One important benefit of telemedicine for Lyme disease was earlier treatment. The number of individuals with an EM rash who were treated within two months improved from 35% before the pandemic to 85% after the pandemic.

Earlier diagnosis allowed physicians to begin antibiotic therapy sooner, potentially reducing the risk of neurologic and joint complications associated with delayed Lyme disease treatment.

2. Improved Access to Lyme Disease Care

Telemedicine also improved access to Lyme disease care. The clinic was able to provide consultations for patients living far from the medical center, including individuals residing in areas considered non-endemic for Lyme disease.

“While during the COVID pandemic a significantly higher rate of patients who resided far from the consultation center were able to receive a virtual consultation and be included in the study thanks to telemedicine,” the authors wrote.

Telemedicine also allowed physicians to provide long-distance advice to children with suspicious skin lesions. “Our results are in line with other authors highlighting that during COVID lockdown telemedicine proved to be an effective way to provide long-distance advice regarding skin lesions in children.”

Three pregnant women also received prompt treatment during the pandemic. They were treated with amoxicillin within 1–2 months after the EM rash appeared, preventing complications and resulting in healthy newborns.

3. Lower Rate of Neurologic Symptoms

The rate of neurologic symptoms, except for headaches, was lower among patients treated after the introduction of telemedicine.

The authors suggested that earlier Lyme disease treatment and improved access to care may have reduced neurologic complications.

“The number of these patients was significantly higher in the in-person consultation group,” the authors wrote, possibly reflecting delays in diagnosis and treatment.

Conclusion

“Our data clearly show that the use of telemedicine for EM diagnosis is helpful as it allows shorter delays in antibiotic therapy and consequently fewer neurological and articular complications.”

The authors concluded that telemedicine could be used both by Lyme disease specialty centers and by general practitioners evaluating patients with possible Lyme disease.

Editor’s note: The higher risk of neurologic symptoms in individuals diagnosed before the pandemic using in-person consultation may also reflect differences in patient evaluation and documentation.