Lyme disease risk factors
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Lyme disease is a tick borne disease and people who spent a lot of time outdoor in wooded area with exposed skin are more prone to this infection.
Risk factors
- Traveling or residing within endemic regions will increase chances of infection.
- Tick activity is generally heightened during certain the spring and summer months.
- Within endemic regions, tick may choose an animal host, including a domesticated animal such as a dog or cat.
- Although rare, cases of blood transfusion and organ transplantation have been recorded as methods of transmission.
- All together, individuals who spend time outdoors and/or have pets that go outdoors in endemic regions are at risk for tick-borne disease. [1]
Exposure to ticks
- Individuals with frequent exposure to dogs and who reside near wooded areas or areas with high grass may also be at increased risk of infection.
- Failing to remove a tick as soon as you see it on your skin (the longer a tick is attached to your skin the greater your risk of developing Lyme disease.)[2]
Endemic Regions
- Any individual travelling or living within the Northeastern United States, as well as the upper Midwest is at a heightened risk of exposure to Lyme disease.
- 96% of confirmed cases have been reported in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. [3]
Seasonal Variation
- The majority of Lyme disease cases are reported during the summer months of June (nearly 50,000 cases reported between the years 2001-2010) and July (just above 50,000 cases reported between the years 2001-2010).
- Case incidence heightens in May (estimated 15,000 cases reported between the years 2001-2010) and tapers off in August (just above 20,000 cases reported between the years 2001-2010). [3]
References
- ↑ General Information (2015). http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html Accessed on December 30, 2015
- ↑ "Lyme disease: All - MayoClinic.com". Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Lyme Disease Graphs. http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/graphs.html Accessed February 9, 2016.