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.