A Longitudinal Cohort Study of Children with Peripheral Facial Nerve Palsy in Lyme Disease Endemic Areas.

Lederer, Sophi R; Neville, Desiree N; Balamuth, Fran; Chapman, Laura L; Thompson, Amy D; Ladell, Meagan M; Kharbanda, Anupam B; Monuteaux, Michael C et al. · J Pediatr · 2026

prospective_cohort · Level II

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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.

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