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Effect of gender on clinical and epidemiologic features of Lyme borreliosis.

Bennet, Louise LU orcid ; Stjernberg, Louise and Berglund, Johan (2007) In Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 7(1). p.34-41
Abstract
The aim is to highlight the influence of patients' gender on Lyme borreliosis and especially erythema migrans (EM), focusing on exposure to tick bites, epidemiology, and the clinical picture. All studies were conducted in the county of Blekinge, located in southeastern Sweden. A prospective study was conducted in 235 individuals (women, n = 110; men, n = 125) engaged in recreational or occupational activities focusing on exposure to tick bites. A retrospective epidemiologic study evaluating 123,495 electronic patients' records (women, n = 61,712; men, n = 61,783) and a prospective clinical study including 118 patients (women, n = 54; men, n = 64) 18 years or older seeking care for EM >= 5 cm in diameter with genospecies verified by... (More)
The aim is to highlight the influence of patients' gender on Lyme borreliosis and especially erythema migrans (EM), focusing on exposure to tick bites, epidemiology, and the clinical picture. All studies were conducted in the county of Blekinge, located in southeastern Sweden. A prospective study was conducted in 235 individuals (women, n = 110; men, n = 125) engaged in recreational or occupational activities focusing on exposure to tick bites. A retrospective epidemiologic study evaluating 123,495 electronic patients' records (women, n = 61,712; men, n = 61,783) and a prospective clinical study including 118 patients (women, n = 54; men, n = 64) 18 years or older seeking care for EM >= 5 cm in diameter with genospecies verified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were conducted. Women 40 years or older had a 48% higher risk than men 40 years or older and 42% higher risk than women younger than 40 years of attracting tick bites (0.0188 versus 0.0127 and 0.0188 versus 0.0132 tick bites respectively per hour). Additionally they had a 96% higher risk than men younger than 40 years of attracting tick bites (0.0188 versus 0.0096). The annual incidence rate of EM in women was 506 and in men 423 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (p < 0.001). Significant differences in incidence rates occurred in those 40 years or older. Odds ratios for males infected with Borrelia afzelii developing nonannular EM were 0.09 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.03 to 0.33) in comparison to females infected by Borrelia afzeli. Significant gender differences in the risk of contracting tick bites, incidence rates, and clinical picture of EM have been observed. Exposure to tick bites alone may not explain these observations and further studies need to be done to clarify the biologic, immunologic, and sociological mechanisms causing these differences. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases
volume
7
issue
1
pages
34 - 41
publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
external identifiers
  • wos:000245531800005
  • scopus:34247278195
  • pmid:17417955
ISSN
1557-7759
DOI
10.1089/vbz.2006.0533
project
Erythema Migrans in Primary Health Care
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2d377e85-70b6-4f03-8344-5be247dd2f08 (old id 167747)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=17417955&dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:49:53
date last changed
2022-01-26 18:52:28
@article{2d377e85-70b6-4f03-8344-5be247dd2f08,
  abstract     = {{The aim is to highlight the influence of patients' gender on Lyme borreliosis and especially erythema migrans (EM), focusing on exposure to tick bites, epidemiology, and the clinical picture. All studies were conducted in the county of Blekinge, located in southeastern Sweden. A prospective study was conducted in 235 individuals (women, n = 110; men, n = 125) engaged in recreational or occupational activities focusing on exposure to tick bites. A retrospective epidemiologic study evaluating 123,495 electronic patients' records (women, n = 61,712; men, n = 61,783) and a prospective clinical study including 118 patients (women, n = 54; men, n = 64) 18 years or older seeking care for EM &gt;= 5 cm in diameter with genospecies verified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were conducted. Women 40 years or older had a 48% higher risk than men 40 years or older and 42% higher risk than women younger than 40 years of attracting tick bites (0.0188 versus 0.0127 and 0.0188 versus 0.0132 tick bites respectively per hour). Additionally they had a 96% higher risk than men younger than 40 years of attracting tick bites (0.0188 versus 0.0096). The annual incidence rate of EM in women was 506 and in men 423 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (p &lt; 0.001). Significant differences in incidence rates occurred in those 40 years or older. Odds ratios for males infected with Borrelia afzelii developing nonannular EM were 0.09 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.03 to 0.33) in comparison to females infected by Borrelia afzeli. Significant gender differences in the risk of contracting tick bites, incidence rates, and clinical picture of EM have been observed. Exposure to tick bites alone may not explain these observations and further studies need to be done to clarify the biologic, immunologic, and sociological mechanisms causing these differences.}},
  author       = {{Bennet, Louise and Stjernberg, Louise and Berglund, Johan}},
  issn         = {{1557-7759}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{34--41}},
  publisher    = {{Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.}},
  series       = {{Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases}},
  title        = {{Effect of gender on clinical and epidemiologic features of Lyme borreliosis.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2006.0533}},
  doi          = {{10.1089/vbz.2006.0533}},
  volume       = {{7}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}