Research Article 2012: Bull’s-Eye and Nontarget Skin Lesions of Lyme Disease: An Internet Survey of Identification of Erythema Migrans Abstract Introduction. Lyme disease is an emerging worldwide infectious disease with major foci of endemicity in North America and regions of temperate Eurasia. The erythema migrans rash associated with early infection is found in approximately 80% of patients and can have a range of appearances including the classic target bull’s-eye lesion and nontarget appearing lesions. Methods. A survey was designed to assess the ability of the general public to distinguish various appearances of erythema migrans from non-Lyme rashes. Participants were solicited from individuals who visited an educational website about Lyme disease. Results. Of 3,104 people who accessed a rash identification survey, 72.7% of participants correctly identified the classic target erythema migrans commonly associated with Lyme disease. A mean of 20.5% of participants was able to correctly identify the four nonclassic erythema migrans. 24.2% of participants incorrectly identified a tick bite reaction in the skin as erythema migrans. Conclusions. Participants were most familiar with the classic target erythema migrans of Lyme disease but were unlikely to correctly identify the nonclassic erythema migrans. These results identify an opportunity for educational intervention to improve early recognition of Lyme disease and to increase the patient’s appropriate use of medical services for early Lyme disease diagnosis. Conclusions With increased knowledge of the general public’s expertise in correctly identifying EM and seeking out services for medical care, public health education initiatives can be appropriately developed and targeted to address the deficiencies. While this survey did not target health care professionals, there is some evidence to suggest that physicians are limited in their ability to correctly identify the EM accompanying LD [14]. Another area for future research would be further investigating health provider’s ability to accurately identify EM. Based upon those findings, training could be developed for front-line providers in Lyme endemic areas aimed at helping them to become familiar with the different appearances of EM. Such research could also provide the basis for guiding national agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control, about the information they disseminate. Surveys such as the one reported here can be an important and influential public health tool. By assessing the gaps in knowledge of the public about a physical manifestation of LD, public health officials can target educational and outreach materials to these individuals. There is also opportunity for intervention following these types of assessments, such as education geared towards those in Lyme endemic areas and health care providers. Full Text: hindawi/journals/drp/2012/451727/
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 21:45:18 +0000
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