Obtainment of prescribed analgesics among patients with Lyme neuroborreliosis; a nationwide, population-based matched cohort study

BACKGROUND: Radicular pain is the most predominant symptom among adults with Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) but the duration preceding and following diagnosis remains unknown. We aimed to investigate whether patients with LNB have increased obtainment of analgesics before and after diagnosis and for how long.

METHODS: We performed a nationwide, population-based, matched cohort study (2009-2021). all Danish residents with LNB (positive Borrelia burgdorferi intrathecal antibody index test and cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis) were included. To form a comparison cohort, individuals from the general population were randomly extracted and matched 10:1 to patients with LNB on age and sex. Outcomes were obtainment of simple analgesics, antiepileptics, tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, tramadol, and other opioids. We calculated monthly and six-monthly proportions of individuals with obtainment of analgesics and absolute risk differences.

RESULTS: 1,056 patients with LNB and 10,560 comparison cohort members were included. An increased proportion of patients with LNB obtained analgesics from 3 months before study inclusion, especially simple analgesics, tramadol, and other opioids. Within the 0-1-month period after study inclusion, patients with LNB most frequently obtained simple analgesics (15 %), antiepileptics (11 %), and tramadol (10 %). Thereafter, obtainment of analgesics declined within a few months. A slightly larger proportion of patients with LNB obtained antiepileptics up to 2.5 years after diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS: Up to 3 months preceding diagnosis, LNB was preceded by increased obtainment of analgesics, which suggests diagnostic delay. Importantly, most patients with LNB did not obtain analgesics after the immediate disease course, although obtainment remained more frequent up to 2.5 years after.