[ad_1]
Current annual estimates of confirmed cases of Lyme disease are between 2000 and 3000 in England and Wales, according to Public Health England.
However, the research published in BMJ Open suggests that the actual figure for tick-borne disease could be three times higher and could reach more than 8,000 this year, although one expert recommended caution, saying that the results could be a overestimation.
A second study published in the same journal supported a public health intervention focused on the identified hotspots of Lyme disease.
General practice data
The research team badyzed anonymized data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) between 2001 and 2012. These covered approximately 8.4 million individuals from 658 general practitioners – approximately 8% of the UK population.
The diagnoses of Lyme disease were clbadified in the category
-
Clinically diagnosed (1702, 42%)
-
Suspected and treated (1913, 47%)
-
Possible and treated (468, 11%)
Summers has the highest number of cases of Lyme disease and the highest number in Scotland. This was due to the popularity of the hike and the rainier climate. The regions ranked second and third for the incidence of Lyme disease were south central England and southwestern England, but cases were observed in all the regions.
The number of cases registered by the CPRD increased from 60 in 2001 to 595 in 2012 and 7738 in the United Kingdom, according to estimates.
Unsurprising results
"I was not very surprised because many people suggested that the incidence was greater than the estimate," said one of the authors of the study, retired doctor Victoria Cairns from Oxford. Medscape News UK.
With some diseases, the incidence may increase with public and physician awareness of the symptoms. However, "There is more, I think," said Dr. Cairns: "Every year there is more."
The new research paper does not speculate on the reasons for the growth in the number of cases. "Other people have speculated on climate change," said Dr. Cairns. There are all kinds of explanations. In part, climate change is hotter. In some places, there are more deer, so ticks feed on different animals, so that could be part of it. "
She has a personal interest in the subject: "I've had Lyme disease a long time ago."
She documented – and post-Lyme disease symptoms – in the International Journal of Epidemiology in 2005.
"My problem was that I had not been diagnosed early, because I did not know that the rash that I had was a sign of Lyme disease," she said. declared. "I was very busy working and I ignored it.It is the main thing I would like to say to people – do not ignore it.And if you think you have any symptoms, consult your doctor.
"The problem that some people face is a delay in treatment, so they have longer-term symptoms that take years to disappear."
Dr. Cairns said that the public should be more aware of the risks of ticks and symptoms of Lyme disease. "I think it's very important that people become aware of it and take preventive measures.
"Because it is so difficult to diagnose, only about a quarter of patients contract this rash, it's called erythema migrans, otherwise Lyme disease would not be such a big problem, because everyone would immediately receive a rash. sufficient treatment. "
Latest guidelines
Last year, the guidelines of the National Institute of Health and Care (NICE) were changed so that doctors could begin treatment without a blood test.
"One of the problems is that the symptoms are very varied, and he has been dubbed" the great imitator, "said Dr. Cairns. "The range of symptoms is quite wide, which results in neurological problems, joint problems, brain problems, memory problems, heart problems, etc."
Dr. Cairns thinks GPs are willing to help track down the symptoms: "I think GPs now know it, so that's not really the problem." It's not really GPs, it's not really a problem. is the public.
"The main purpose of this study is to say that there is more than what you think, so be on your guard."
Caution
Sally Cutler, a professor of medical microbiology at the University of East London (UEL), said: "This study reports a different way of calculating the number of Lyme disease cases in the world.United Kingdom.Their results differ from previously reported rates that were based on officially reported cases of Lyme disease that met a stringent set of criteria and required positive blood tests for enumeration.
She continued, "In this study, three categories of patients are included: clinically diagnosed cases, suspected cases treated with a positive diagnostic test and possible treated cases, including patients who were only" suspects. "and" possible cases of Lyme disease "in this study, the study will overestimate cases".
Prof Cutler concluded: "I would advise caution when interpreting the number of Lyme disease cases provided in this study as they are likely to be overestimated."
Targeted messages
The second study in BMJ Open examined geographical hot spots of laboratory-confirmed cases and socio-economic profiles of affected patients.
He badyzed 3986 cases from 2013 to 2016.
He found:
-
Patients were more likely to be men
-
Cases were higher in rural areas
-
More cases were found in patients who lived in more affluent areas (rather than in places where they were infected)
The authors concluded: "The identification of hot spots of Lyme disease in southern England, along with the socio-demographic data described, will enable a targeted approach to interventions and public health messages" .
Incidence of Lyme disease in the UK: a population-based cohort study. BMJ Open. doi 10.1136 / bmjopen-2018-025916 .
Demography and geographical distribution of laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales (2013-2016): an ecological study. BMJ Open. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/8/e028064
[ad_2]
Source link
