American researchers have found that a majority of children with Lyme disease are fully recovered six months after taking antibiotic treatment.
- Lyme disease is generally characterized by a flu-like state, which may be accompanied by an inflammatory red plaque.
- Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics.
- According to a new study, children infected with Lyme disease make a full recovery six months after taking the treatment.
Lyme disease or borreliosis occurs following a bite from a tick infected with Borrelia bacteria. It is possible to be infected during a walk in nature, especially when walking in tall grass where ticks can nest.
Lyme disease treatment could lead to recovery in 6 months in children
Three to thirty days after the tick bite, an inflammatory red plaque appears around the bitten area before gradually spreading. It is generally accompanied by a flu-like syndrome (fever, chills, headaches, body aches, etc.). In the absence of antibiotic treatment, Lyme disease can progress to a “secondary” form, which causes:
- joint pain, especially in the knees;
- localized pain;
- localized paralysis;
- muscle weakness;
- fatigue, which is not relieved by rest;
- hepatitis or eye inflammation.
According to a recent study by Children’s National Research Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a majority of children diagnosed with Lyme disease recovered within six months of completing antibiotic treatment.
For the purposes of this research, American scientists analyzed Lyme disease treatment data from 102 children living in the United States. In the study, parents of participants aged five to 18 completed questionnaires about their children’s health status after they were infected with Lyme disease.
Lyme disease: 1% of children suffered from significant symptoms
According to the survey results, 75% of children fully recovered within six months of completing Lyme disease treatment, 31% recovered within one month, 30% within within one to three months and 14% within four to six months.
Researchers found that 22% of young volunteers had at least one persistent symptom six months or more after treatment ended. According to their work, 1% of children suffered from manifestations significant enough to interfere with their daily functioning.
According to the authors, their study should help alleviate parental stress related to the persistence of symptoms in infected children. They also note that their findings can help healthcare professionals manage family expectations about different recovery times after Lyme disease treatment.