title: New insights into stages of lyme disease symptoms from a novel hospital-based registry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Western Connecticut Health Network created the Lyme Disease Registry in response to the community's request and clinical need for more Lyme disease research. The registry includes acute, recovered, and persistently symptomatic patients to better define the different stages of the disease. The design of the registry was guided by community and clinician input through a community-based participatory research process.
  
  
  METHODS
  Registry participants are asked questions regarding their diagnosis, symptoms, treatments, recovery, and satisfaction with the Registry. A blood specimen is also collected and stored at the initial appointment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Lyme Disease Registry has enrolled 256 participants, 24% are acute cases, 45% are persistently symptomatic cases, and 31% are recovered cases. The symptoms experienced by the group of patients with persistent symptoms had unexpectedly strong overlap with those experienced by acutely infected patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The difference between symptoms in the acutely infected patients and those experiencing persistent symptoms is not as large as initially thought.
authors: Western Connecticut Health Network, Danbury Hospital, Danbury, CT, USA jessika.lobraico@wchn.org.
authors: Jessika
authors: J
authors: Lobraico
authors: Western Connecticut Health Network, Danbury Hospital, Danbury, CT, USA.
authors: Amber
authors: A
authors: Butler
authors: Western Connecticut Health Network, Danbury Hospital, Danbury, CT, USA.
authors: Joann
authors: J
authors: Petrini
authors: Western Connecticut Health Network, Danbury Hospital, Danbury, CT, USA.
authors: Ramin
authors: R
authors: Ahmadi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research / Q000379:methods; D003237:Connecticut; D005260:Female; D006753:Hospital Records; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012042:Registries / Q000592:standards; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: community health; disease management; health outcomes; prevention; primary care