Lyme disease in the UK three times higher than expected | News article

The cases of Lyme disease in the UK could be three times higher than expected and reach 8,000 cases in 2019, according to a new study based on family doctor records.

Higher incidence rates of Lyme disease were observed in all regions of the United Kingdom, especially in Scotland, which reported the highest number of cases.

Currently, it is estimated that the annual number of new cases of Lyme disease is around 2,000 to 3,000.

The new study of 8.4 million British GPs extracted from a database covering 8% of the UK population showed that the total number of Lyme disease cases had increased ten-fold between 2001 and 2012, from 60 to 595.

Researchers from the UK and the Frankfurt Institute of Epidemiology have estimated that the current annual number may be too low. They warned that if the number of cases continued to increase since the end of the study period, this number could reach 8,000 by 2019.

This stems from the fact that NICE guidelines have urged general practitioners to diagnose and treat Lyme disease on the sole basis of the characteristic rash.

The study, published in BMJ Open, extracted the data from a primary care database and the results showed that the combined number of cases recorded in the database between 2001 and 2012 was 4,083 cases detected out of 4,025 patients.

The estimated number of tick-borne Lyme disease has increased steadily over the 11-year period from 955 in 2001 to 7,738 in 2012. The researchers suggest that this number could reach 8,000 this year.

The number of suspected cases treated increased from 2009 to 2012, in contrast to the number of clinically diagnosed cases, which researchers say is due to "a greater cause among GPs and their willingness to treat the disease at an early stage. early before confirming the diagnosis ".

The recent revision of the Lyme Disease Directive by NICE recommends that all physicians promptly prescribe antibiotics for suspected cases.

The study also found that almost a quarter of cases involved patients under 30 years of age. In addition, 85% of all cases recorded in the study included the registration of a prescription from a treating physician for antibiotics meeting for the first time the criteria for Lyme disease. .

Cases of Lyme disease were prevalent in all parts of the United Kingdom, with Scotland having the highest number of cases, followed by south-central and south-west England.

The report concluded by stating that people are at risk throughout the UK, and that the results "should lead to increased awareness of the need for preventive measures".

The authors of the study explained that the reason for the higher cases in Scotland was probably due to the wetter environment, conducive to ticks.

The news follows a letter sent last month by the Scottish chief medical officer to health professionals, including general practitioners, advising NHS councils to increase awareness of the early diagnosis and management of Lyme disease.

Anne Cruikshank, RCGP Lyme Disease Clinical Champion, told the Guardian: "These levels are not a surprise to those of us who are familiar with Lyme disease. I expect that the figure of 8,000 may be underestimated, as the data show that positive laboratory results have doubled every five years.