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Acta medica Croatica : Časopis Akademije medicinskih znanosti Hrvatske, Vol. 73 No. 2, 2019.

Original scientific paper

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LYME DISEASE IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA 2012-2016

DARKO ROPAC orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-9805-3869 ; Catholic University of Croatia, Department of Nursing, Zagreb, Croatia
BORIS ŠOKMAN ; Catholic University of Croatia, Department of Nursing, Zagreb, Croatia
INA STAŠEVIĆ orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-6912-2191 ; University of Applied Sciences, Study of Nursing, Bjelovar, Croatia
SANJA KUREČIĆ FILIPOVIĆ orcid id orcid.org/0000-0003-0028-8174 ; Croatian Institute of Public Health, Epidemiology Department, Zagreb, Croatia

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Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify age, sex, occupational, seasonal and geographical distribution and incidence of Lyme borreliosis in Croatia during the 2012-2016 period, with special reference to 2016. Methods: A total of 2470 cases of Lyme disease reported during the 5-year period were analyzed. Climatic factors influencing the number of affected individuals were also analyzed. Data were statistically processed by use of χ2-test; the level of significance
was set at p<0.05. Results: In Croatia, 494 cases of Lyme disease were reported on average per year, with a female predominance, yielding a statistically significant sex difference at the level of p<0.05. The number of affected individuals grew progressively after the age of 20 years, with significant differences among particular age groups. The highest number of patients was recorded in warm season (May-July), most frequently in northern and inland parts of Croatia. The mean annual incidence of Lyme disease was 11.7/100,000, and was higher in children (19.3). There was a significant difference in the incidence of the disease between the northern and southern parts of Croatia (14.1 vs. 0.7; p<0.001), yielding a ratio of nearly 1:22. Conclusion: In Croatia, around 500 cases of Lyme disease were recorded per year, with a female predominance. Children were frequently involved, while the prevalence of the disease increased significantly with aging. Lyme disease is of pronounced seasonal character, with potential shifts depending on modifications in climatic factors. The number of affected individuals differed significantly between the southern and northern parts of Croatia.

Keywords

Lyme disease; epidemiology; Croatia

Hrčak ID:

224694

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/224694

Publication date:

6.9.2019.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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