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Incidence and management of presumption of Lyme borreliosis in Belgium: recent data from the sentinel network of general practitioners

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Abstract

An increasing incidence of tick bites and Lyme disease has been noticed internationally. The aims of this study are threefold: to estimate the incidence of tick bites and erythema migrans, to assess the compliance of the general practitioners (GPs) with the recommendations about the management of tick bites and erythema migrans, and finally, to have a look at the evolution over time, both on incidence and management. We used data of the Belgian network of sentinel general practitioners (SGP) to study the incidence rates in Belgium, the trend over time, and the degree of compliance of the SGP. The overall Belgian incidence rates in the SGP practice in 2008–2009 were 18.65 (95% CI 17.29–20.08) per 10,000 persons for tick bites and 9.02 (95% CI 8.08–10.03) for erythema migrans. The diagnostic management of patients with an asymptomatic tick bite has worsened over time, while the therapeutic management of erythema migrans has improved over time. The international increasing trend of the incidence was not observed in the SGP. There is still room for improvement concerning the approach of the GPs. Recommendations could help to improve their approach.

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Acknowledgments

The Belgian network of sentinel GPs is supported by the Flemish and Walloon Ministry of Welfare, Public Health and Family. We wish to thank all sentinel GPs for providing the study data.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. OD Public Health and Surveillance, Scientific Institute of Public Health, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    K. Vanthomme, N. Bossuyt, N. Boffin & V. Van Casteren

Authors
  1. K. Vanthomme
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  2. N. Bossuyt
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  3. N. Boffin
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  4. V. Van Casteren
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Correspondence to K. Vanthomme.

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Vanthomme, K., Bossuyt, N., Boffin, N. et al. Incidence and management of presumption of Lyme borreliosis in Belgium: recent data from the sentinel network of general practitioners. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 31, 2385–2390 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-012-1580-3

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