More than 14% of the population has had Lyme disease

Lyme borreliosis, or Lyme disease, is an infectious disease caused by complex bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato transmitted to humans through the bites of infected ticks.

According to the compilation published in the journal BMJ Global Health, Central Europe has the highest infection rate, at 20%. And men over 50 living in rural areas are more at risk.

To show how common Lyme disease is around the world, the researchers selected 137 studies – out of a possible 4,196 – and combined data from 89 of them.

In 14.5% of the approximately 160,000 participants, antibodies against the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) was found in the blood.

This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date systematic analysis of the global seroprevalence of Bbsays the study.

After Central Europe, the regions with the highest antibody rates were East Asia with 15.9%, Western Europe with 13.5% and Eastern Europe. Has 10.4%.

North America shows a rate of 9.4%.

The Caribbean, on the other hand, has the lowest rate, with only 2%.

Previous research has shown that the prevalence of tick -borne diseases has doubled in the past 12 years.

This increase is explained by longer and drier summers due to climate change, animal migration and more and more interaction with petsaccording to the study.

Farmers and other workers who regularly come into contact with host animals such as dogs and sheep are most at risk of being bitten by an infected tick, the study found.

The data may be misleading in areas where Lyme disease is endemic, as health authorities are more likely to regularly conduct antibody tests compared to areas where it is less common, it said.

Lyme disease is rarely fatal, but people who are bitten by an infected tick often develop skin rashes and experience flu -like symptoms, including muscle and joint pain, headaches, nausea and vomiting.