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A Longitudinal Cohort Study of Children with Peripheral Facial Nerve Palsy in Lyme Disease Endemic Areas. J Pediatr 2026 Feb;289:114879

Date

11/03/2025

Pubmed ID

41177400

DOI

10.1016/j.jpeds.2025.114879

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-105023579367 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)

Abstract

In our longitudinal cohort of 385 children with peripheral facial nerve palsy, 7 of 145 (4.8%; 95% CI 2.4-9.6%) with Lyme disease did not initially receive appropriate antibiotics and 98 of 240 (40.8%; 95% CI 34.8-47.2%) with idiopathic facial palsy received antibiotics unnecessarily. A rapid and accurate Lyme diagnostic could improve initial treatment.

Author List

Lederer SR, Neville DN, Balamuth F, Chapman LL, Thompson AD, Ladell MM, Kharbanda AB, Monuteaux MC, Nigrovic LE, for Pedi Lyme Net

Author

Meagan Ladell MD Assistant Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Bell Palsy
Child
Child, Preschool
Cohort Studies
Endemic Diseases
Facial Paralysis
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Lyme Disease
Male