In 2020, more than 60,000 people contracted Lyme disease. numbers, an increase compared to 2019, which calls into question patient care. Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) recently published a pathway of care guide that was adapted to cases of suspected Lyme disease. Intended for patients and healthcare professionals, it aims to improve patient care. explanations.

Symptoms to watch out for

The Lyme diseaseIt infected more than 50,000 people in France in 2019. It mainly affects children aged 5 to 9 and adults aged 70 to 79. This disease is characterized by a A bacterial infection transmitted to humans when an infected tick bites.

Minor cases of the disease lead to the appearance of a red rash that extends around the site of the bite. It has an average width of 5 cm and is painless. usually appears 3 to 30 days after the bite.

But in more complex cases, a sting can lead to hospitalization with more serious symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue or muscle and joint aches. Some rare forms can occur within 6 months of the bite. MaybearthritisDamage to the brain, heart, or eyes. Furthermore, half of hospitalizations due to Lyme disease are associated with the presence of neurological disorders.

Lyme disease: the optimal course of care by HAS

Following the 2018 recommendations, HAS recently published a pathway of care guide that was adapted to suspected Lyme disease cases. For patients and healthcare professionals, its role is to:

• reduce medical fugue;
• ensuring the same quality of care for all patients;
• Facilitate and coordinate patient care across the country.

Developed under the guidance of a multidisciplinary group of experts, the course empowers healthcare professionals to improve patient care. This course is based on three levels of recourse:

• The Level 1 Who is this General Doctor. Rather, it intervenes in the event of difficulty in removing the tick and the appearance of symptoms in the month following the bite. The general practitioner is responsible for minor cases characterized by redness of the skin. In general, management consists of antibiotic therapy and clinical monitoring;
• The Level 2 Relates to complex cases with less pronounced symptoms. It can appear within six weeks of the bite and consist of fever or skin, articular, or meningeal neuralgias. Patients must then be referred Specialist Doctors or at Center of competence for tick-borne diseases ;
• The 3 . level Who is this Reference centers for tick-borne diseases. It is called for complex cases, if the development of the disease is unfavorable or for the inclusion of the patient in the research protocol.

Watching and watching everyone

The guide provided by HAS contains prevention advice and stresses the importance of vigilance for each of us. Some tips to keep in mind:

• Anyone who has been bitten by a tick should try this Extract ticks with tick remover;
• She must Monitor the bite area for at least a month;
• Take pictures of the lesions and share them with the treating physician for follow-up has evolved.

A regular exchange is scheduled between the reference centers and patient associations. It would be helpful to have ongoing feedback about the patient care experience and expectations.

Alexia F. Doctor of Neuroscience

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