ArticleBMJ open2019
The demographics and geographic distribution of laboratory-confirmed Lyme disease cases in England and Wales (2013-2016): an ecological study.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Incidence of Lyme Borreliosis in Europe: A Systematic Review (2005-2020).Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.) · 2023Pooled it
- Asynchronous local differences in Lyme disease environmental hazard driven by variation in tick abundance and Borrelia burgdorferi infection prevalence.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Results from an enhanced surveillance study of laboratory-confirmed acute Lyme disease cases in England between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.Epidemiology and infection · 2026Article
- Guillain-Barré Polyradiculoneuritis Developed in the Context of Lyme Neuroborreliosis in a 13-Year-Old Girl: A Case Report.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Lyme borreliosis.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026Review
- Running into the Lyme-light: a retrospective cross-sectional study of tick bites and Lyme disease prevalence, incidence, and prevention in hill runners, Scotland, UK.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Exploring stakeholder perceptions and priorities related to reducing tick-related public health risks in natural environments of the United Kingdom.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Factors influencing Lyme borreliosis risk perception in Europe: a cross-sectional multi-country survey study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Clinical Manifestations of European Borreliosis on the Skin in Acute, Subacute and Chronic Disease.Materia socio-medica · 2024Article
- Infectious Disease Sensitivity to Climate and Other Driver-Pressure Changes: Research Effort and Gaps for Lyme Disease and Cryptosporidiosis.GeoHealth · 2023Review
- Incidence of Lyme Borreliosis in the Dutch General Practice Population: A Large-Scale Population-Based Cohort Study Across the Netherlands Between 2015 and 2019.Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.) · 2023Article
- Seroepidemiology ofMicroorganisms · 2022Article
- Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the density of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected Ixodes ricinus ticks across a landscape: A 5-year study in southern England.Medical and veterinary entomology · 2022Article
- Epidemiology of Lyme borreliosis based on outpatient claims data of all people with statutory health insurance, Germany, 2019.Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2022Article
- Regional seropositivity for Borrelia burgdorferi and associated risk factors: findings from the Rhineland Study, Germany.Parasites & vectors · 2022Article
- Seroprevalence of Borrelia IgG antibodies among individuals from Eastern Slovakia.Central European journal of public health · 2022Article
- Spatiotemporal trends and socioecological factors associated with Lyme disease in eastern Ontario, Canada from 2010-2017.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Ixodes ricinus and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the Royal Parks of London, UK.Experimental & applied acarology · 2021Article
- Lyme Neuroborreliosis in Children.Brain sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveLyme disease is a tick-borne disease of increasing incidence and public concern across the Northern Hemisphere. However, the socio-demographics and geographic distribution of the population affected in England and Wales are poorly understood. Therefore, the proposed study was designed to describe the demographics and distribution of laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease from a national testing laboratory.
designAn ecological study of routinely collected laboratory surveillance data.
settingPublic Health England's national Lyme disease testing laboratory.
participants3986 laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease between 2013 and 2016.
resultsIn England and Wales, the incidence of laboratory-confirmed Lyme disease rose significantly over the study period from 1.62 cases per 100 000 in 2013 to 1.95 cases per 100 000 in 2016. There was a bimodal age distribution (with peaks at 6-10 and 61-65 years age bands) with a predominance of male patients. A significant clustering of areas with high Lyme disease incidence was located in southern England. An association was found between disease incidence and socioeconomic status, based on the patient's resident postcode, with more cases found in less deprived areas. Cases were disproportionately found in rural areas compared with the national population distribution.
conclusionsThese results suggest that Lyme disease patients originate from areas with higher socioeconomic status and disproportionately in rural areas. Identification of the Lyme disease hotspots in southern England, alongside the socio-demographics described, will enable a targeted approach to public health interventions and messages.
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