{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T18:47:56Z","timestamp":1792003676615,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,6]],"date-time":"2018-04-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1522972800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":5,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Internal Medicine Journal"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Many Australian patients are diagnosed and treated for the scientifically and politically controversial diagnosis of an endemic form of \u2018Australian Lyme Disease\u2019. Patient advocacy led Senator John Madigan to propose an Australian Senate Inquiry into this illness.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title><jats:p>To describe the symptomology and outcomes of patients diagnosed and treated with Lyme disease in Australia.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>All public, first\u2010person submissions (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic> = 698) to the inquiry were reviewed and responses analysed for epidemiology, symptoms and impact against structured criteria.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The most common symptoms described were fatigue (62.6%), disordered thinking (51.9%) and sensory disturbance (46.1%). Respondents reported experiencing symptoms for a median of 10 years and spent a median of $30 000 on diagnosis and treatment. Almost 10% of respondents self\u2010diagnosed after being exposed to a media report of Australian Lyme disease.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>Patients diagnosed with Lyme disease in Australia display a symptomology similar to \u2018medically unexplained physical symptoms\u2019 syndromes, experience social and financial harms, and are at risk of nosocomial harms. Negative medical interactions and the media may contribute to patients seeking alternative and potentially non\u2010evidence\u2010based diagnoses and treatments.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/imj.13746","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,1,24]],"date-time":"2018-01-24T10:39:57Z","timestamp":1516790397000},"page":"422-426","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["A description of \u2018Australian Lyme disease\u2019 epidemiology and impact: an analysis of submissions to an Australian senate inquiry"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"48","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5809-4762","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jeremy D.","family":"Brown","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, Westmead Hospital  Sydney New South Wales Australia"},{"name":"Nepean Hospital Nepean Blue Mountains Health District  Sydney New South Wales Australia"},{"name":"Blacktown Hospital Western Sydney Local Health District  Sydney New South Wales Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_7_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/civ735"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra072023"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1505425"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_5_1","first-page":"500","article-title":"Lyme disease on the NSW central coast","volume":"168","author":"Lawrence RH","year":"1986","journal-title":"Med J Aust"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5694\/mja16.00824"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/imj.13278"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pathol.2016.02.004"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_9_1","unstructured":"Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Microbiology AC. 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