RELATIVE FREQUENCY OF LYME BORRELIOSIS AND OF ITS CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS IN EUROPE

To survey the frequency of Lyme borreliosis (LB) and to evaluate its c linical presentation in Europe, we performed a questionnaire interview of a sample of physicians involved in the care of patients with LB. R eference laboratories in 15 European countries agreed to participate b y distributing questionnaires to those clinicians who most frequently requested LB serology for their patients. The mean number of cases of LB per physician per country showed a longitudinal geographical gradie nt, with a higher number of patients seen in Eastern and Central Europ e than in Western Europe. Skin involvement was seen in 58.9% of the pa tients, neurological involvement in 34.3%, joint involvement in 15.4% and cardiac involvement in 2%. About 30% of the patients had multisyst em involvement. The frequency of the different manifestations varied g reatly between countries. The frequency of diagnosis of LB and the num ber of serological tests requested were inversely correlated.