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Treatment complications in children with lyme meningitis

Amy D Thompson1, Keri A Cohn, Samir S Shah

  • 1Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nemours, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Jefferson Medical College, Wilmington, DE, USA. amythomp@nemours.org

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|May 18, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Treatment complications are common in pediatric Lyme meningitis, affecting over a quarter of children and often requiring antibiotic changes. Further research into alternative treatment regimens is recommended.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Neurology
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Lyme meningitis treatment complications in children are not well-documented.
  • Understanding these complications is crucial for improving pediatric care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the rate and types of treatment complications in children diagnosed with Lyme meningitis.
  • To inform future treatment strategies and research.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study of children with Lyme meningitis (1997-2010).
  • Inclusion criteria: cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis and positive Lyme serology or erythema migrans rash.
  • Primary outcome: any treatment complication within 30 days of diagnosis.

Main Results:

  • 157 pediatric patients identified; 26% experienced complications.
  • 14% required antibiotic therapy changes; 10% had adverse drug reactions.
  • 17% of those with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) had complications (mechanical, infectious, or thromboembolic).

Conclusions:

  • Current Lyme meningitis treatment regimens are associated with significant morbidity in children.
  • Future research should explore alternative treatment regimens to reduce complications.
Abstract

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