Hospitalisation by tick-borne diseases in the last 10 years in two hospitals in South Spain: analysis of tick exposure data collected in the Emergency Department
Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) can sometimes cause severe symptoms and lead to hospitalisation,
but they often go unnoticed in the Emergency Department (ED). The aim of this
study was twofold: (i) to describe the profile of patients hospitalised by TBDs; and (ii) to
evaluate the data collected in the medical records from the ED in order to analyse their potential
clinical consequences. A total of 84 cases that included all TBD diagnoses registered in the
ED records were identified and analysed. These corresponded to all the hospitalisations by
TBDs in the last 10 years (2009–2019) in two tertiary hospitals in Granada, Spain.
Statistical analyses were made using RStudio. Coinciding with the absence of patient’s report
of exposure to ticks, 64.3% of TBDs were not suspected in the ED. Intensive care unit admission
was required in 8.3% of cases, and the mortality rate was 2.4%. Non-suspected cases
showed longer hospital stay (P < 0.001), treatment duration (P = 0.02) and delay in the initiation
of antibiotic treatment (P < 0.001). Our findings indicate that symptoms associated with
TBDs are highly non-specific. In the absence of explicit information related to potential tick
exposure, TBDs are not initially suspected. As a consequence, elective treatment administration
is delayed and hospitalisation time is prolonged. In conclusion, our results highlight the
importance of addressing potential exposure to ticks during the ED contact with patients presenting
with febrile syndrome
