quote:

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Approximately 14,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported in the United States each year; however, the actual number of cases may be 10-fold higher

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Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
 
Yea Shaz!!!! The Google Master!!
 

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Posted by Melanie Reber (Member # 3707) on :
 
One more for you:

"Surveillance for LD is subject to several limitations. Studies from the early 1990s suggested that LD cases were underreported by six to 12-fold in some areas where LD is endemic (2,3); the current degree of underreporting for national data is unknown."

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5317a4.htm
 

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Posted by shazdancer (Member # 1436) on :
 
You're welcome

The 10-fold quote came from state studies that looked at actual cases versus reported ones. A good summary of many of those can be found at

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/155/12/1120

and

http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/infectious_diseases/pdf_forms_/vol26no4.pdf

The CDC is well aware that the reported statistics are low -- they often are in other diseases, also. Assuming that the habits of those who don't report and those that do remains the same, they can track the growth and spread of a disease, not the actual number, through this method.

From the Wisconsin report:

quote:

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This is not surprising because early stage Lyme disease is often discovered and managed in high-volume care settings, which may reduce the likelihood of reporting.

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In other words, as doctors see more Lyme, and get better at recognizing and treating it early, they stop reporting it as much.
 

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Posted by shazdancer (Member # 1436) on :
 
Thanks, Melanie, I knew there was a "6-to-12" quote out there somewhere.

So there is probably a curve to reporting-versus-actual: docs who don't see much Lyme don't report it because they don't recognize it, and docs that see tons of it can't be bothered to fill out the paperwork.
 

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Posted by dontlikeliver (Member # 4749) on :
 
A huge thanks to you all
 

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Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
 
I thought about contacting Mel this morning, as I knew she would probably have some stats!! Good job, girlfriend!!
 

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