Table 2.
Age, gender and clinical characteristics of children with Lyme neuroborreliosis, on admission and at the 2-month follow-up in the two antibiotic treatment groups
| Ceftriaxone i.v. | Doxycycline p.o. | |
|---|---|---|
| (n = 194) | (n = 127) | |
| Age, median (range) | 6 (1–18) | 10 (4–19) |
| Gender | ||
| Female, n (%) | 91 (47) | 55 (43) |
| Male, n (%) | 103 (53) | 72 (57) |
| Major symptoms and signs on admissiona | ||
| Facial nerve palsy, n (%) | 122 (63) | 89 (70) |
| Headache, n (%) | 121 (62) | 89 (70) |
| Fatigue, n (%) | 139 (72) | 84 (66) |
| Loss of appetite, n (%) | 93 (48) | 58 (46) |
| Fever, n (%) | 83 (43) | 55 (43) |
| Neck pain, n (%) | 70 (36) | 54 (43) |
| Neck stiffness, n (%) | 43 (22) | 42 (33) |
| Nausea, n (%) | 40 (21) | 35 (28) |
| Radiant pain, n (%) | 32 (16) | 21 (17) |
| Vertigo, n (%) | 19 (10) | 21 (17) |
| Duration of neurological symptoms on admission | ||
| 1 week, n (%) | 91 (47) | 51 (40) |
| 2 weeks, n (%) | 51 (27) | 52 (41) |
| 3–4 weeks, n (%) | 33 (17) | 17 (13) |
| > 1 month, n (%) | 18 (9) | 7 (6) |
| Laboratory findings | ||
| Pleocytosis in CSF, median (range)b | 143 (5–1280) | 163 (5–634) |
| Anti-Borrelia antibodies in CSF, n (%)c | 149 (77) | 80 (63) |
| LNB Diagnosis | ||
| Definite LNB, n (%) | 149 (77) | 79 (62) |
| Possible LNB, n (%) | 45 (23) | 48 (38) |
| Persistent signs and symptoms at the 2-month follow-upa | ||
| Facial nerve palsy, n (%) | 26 (13) | 25 (20) |
| Headache, n (%) | 9 (10) | 5 (4) |
| Fatigue, n (%) | 5 (3) | 7 (6) |
| Abducens nerve palsy, n (%) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Affected balance, n (%) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Hemiparesis, n (%) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Shoulder pain, n (%) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Joint pain, n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (1) |
| Neck pain, n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (1) |
| Radiant pain in extremity, n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (1) |
| Hyperesthesia in extremity, n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (1) |
| Clinical outcome at the 2-month follow-up | ||
| Recovered, n (%) | 155 (80) | 94 (74) |
| Not recovered, n (%) | 39 (20) | 33 (26) |
a Some patients have reported several symptoms
bPleocytosis: > 5 × 106/L white cells with a mononuclear cell dominance
c Intrathecal Borrelia specific antibody synthesis in CSF
LNB Lyme neuroborreliosis
CSF Cerebrospinal fluid