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Seroprevalence of Lyme Disease in Children With Facial Nerve Palsy

Bethany Murphy1, Julissa Veras1, Sindhura Kolli2

  • 1Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA.

Journal of Child Neurology
|August 28, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Fever and male gender are key predictors for diagnosing Lyme disease in children with facial nerve palsy. Early clinical signs like headache combined with fever aid diagnosis in endemic areas.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Neurology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Facial nerve palsy in children can be caused by Lyme disease.
  • Accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment.
  • Identifying clinical predictors can aid early diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify clinical predictors of Lyme disease in children presenting with facial nerve palsy.
  • To evaluate the utility of specific symptoms in diagnosing Lyme disease.
  • To inform early empiric treatment strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of children (<21 years) with documented Lyme disease serology and facial nerve palsy in New Jersey.
  • Data collection included symptoms (tick bite, fever, headache, arthritis) and demographic factors.
  • Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors.

Main Results:

  • Out of 122 children, 22.1% had Lyme disease.
  • Fever (P=.01, OR=16.11) and male gender (P=.01, OR=3.68) were significant predictors.
  • The combination of headache and fever was also highly predictive (P=.01).

Conclusions:

  • Clinical predictors, particularly fever and male gender, are valuable in diagnosing Lyme disease in children with facial nerve palsy.
  • The presence of headache alongside fever further increases diagnostic utility.
  • These findings support the use of clinical predictors for early empiric treatment decisions.

Keywords:
childrenepidemiologymeningitispediatric

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