All Posts Tagged With: "endemic"

Tick-borne encephalitis is an infection of the CNS caused by a tick-borne
encephalitis virus transmitted by ticks. It is more common in adults than in
children. During the last 30 years, the incidence of the disease increased
continuously in almost all endemic European countries except Austria. Many
factors are responsible for the increased incidence. However, in Austria, the
incidence of tick-borne encephalitis decreased dramatically since the
introduction of a well-organized vaccination campaign against tick-borne
encephalitis. The diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis is based on clinical
criteria and laboratory confirmation of infection. Other tick-borne diseases,
such as Lyme borreliosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis, should be
considered in children with tick-borne encephalitis since endemic areas for all
three diseases overlap. Continued

Clinical practice guidelines are increasing in number. Unfortunately,
when scientific evidence is uncertain, limited, or evolving, as is often
the case, conflict often arises between guideline committees and
practicing physicians, who bear the direct responsibility for the care of
individual patients. The 2006 Infectious Diseases Society of America
guidelines for Lyme disease, which have limited scientific support,
could, if implemented, limit the clinical discretion of treating physicians
and the treatment options available to patients

Introduction

Clinical practice guidelines are now ubiquitous throughout the
United States. The National Guidelines Clearing House, under the
category “diseases,” currently lists 2,126 separate guidelines on its
web site. Clinical guidelines are intended to assist physicians in
patient care by clearly communicating the results of the guideline
committees’ evaluation of available therapeutic options. However,
the processes by which individual guidelines are constructed may be
less clear, leading to disagreements between the issuing committee
and the physicians who treat patients-physicians who may well be
as experienced and knowledgeable as the guideline committee. Continued

Low White Blood Cell Count Distinguishes Lyme Arthritis From Septic Arthritis
Crina Frincu-Mallos, PhD

November 13, 2009 (Washington, DC) — The odds that a child living in a Lyme-endemic area of the United States who presents with a joint effusion will be diagnosed as having Lyme arthritis is 29%. The odds are even higher (44%) if the affected joint is the knee. The leukocyte count is useful in distinguishing between septic and Lyme arthritis, researchers announced here. Continued