Background: Lyme borreliosis LB remains a public health concern in France despite improved patient management and medical care. Stay-at-home restrictions during the COVID pandemic, which affected participation in outdoor recreational activities and disrupted access to health care services, may have impacted the risk of developing LB. Methods: We analyzed data from two general practitioner networks in France Sentinel Network and an electronic medical records database [EMR] and the national hospital discharge database to describe LB epidemiology in and compare it to previous years.
Google Trends' search volume was used to evaluate the association between the population's interest in LB and the evolving epidemiology. Google Trends' search volume for "Lyme" followed a similar trend, one year earlier. Annual hospitalizations were stable from 1.
This decline was observed primarily in adults e. Hospitalizations decreased in all regions except in Bretagne. The incidence decrease observed in primary care could result from reduced population interest in LB, leading to lower care-seeking behavior. The decrease in LB hospitalizations may be explained by changes in clinical practice.
Surveillance systems are critical to understand the evolution of LB epidemiology. However, external factors impacting incidence estimates should be considered. Abstract Background: Lyme borreliosis LB remains a public health concern in France despite improved patient management and medical care.
