[The incidence of Lyme arthritis and of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in rheumatology patients in an endemic area].

The examination of 231 rheumatic patients, 159 patients with reactive arthritis and 117 rheumatoid arthritis patients identified diagnostic titers of polyvalent antibodies to Borrelia in 6.6% of all the examinees with rheumatism, 11.9% with reactive arthritis and in 7.7% with RA. Lyme arthritis was diagnosed in 1.3% of reactive arthritis patients. To diagnose Lyme arthritis accurately, it is recommended to rest upon clinical symptoms which must be associated with high titers of IgG antibodies to Borrelia growing still higher in the follow-up period.