Clinical spectrum of skin manifestations of Lyme borreliosis in 204 children in Austria.

Abstract

The spectrum of skin manifestations of Lyme borreliosis in children is not well characterized. We conducted a retrospective study to analyze the clinical characteristics, seroreactivity to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, and outcome after treatment in 204 children with skin manifestations of Lyme borreliosis seen in 1996-2011. Solitary erythema migrans was the most common manifestation (44.6%), followed by erythema migrans with multiple lesions (27%), borrelial lymphocytoma (21.6%), and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (0.9%). A collision lesion of a primary borrelial lymphocytoma and a surrounding secondary erythema migrans was diagnosed in 5.9% of children. Rate of seroreactivity to B. burgdorferi s.l. was lower in solitary erythema migrans compared to other diagnosis groups. Amoxicillin or phenoxymethylpenicillin led to complete resolution of erythema migrans within a median of 6 (solitary) and 14 days (multiple lesions), respectively, and of borrelia lymphocytoma within a median of 56 days. In conclusion, erythema migrans with multiple lesions and borrelial lymphocytoma appear to be more frequent in children than in adults, whereas acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans is a rarity in childhood. The outcome after antibiotic therapy was excellent in children, and appears to be better than in adults.