Antibiotic therapy in Lyme disease.

We studied antibiotic efficacy in 113 patients with erythema chronicum migrans, the first manifestation of Lyme disease. Erythema chronicum migrans and its associated symptoms resolved faster in patients given penicillin or tetracycline (median duration, 4 and 2 days, respectively) than in untreated patients (10 days; P less than 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively). Erythromycin had no significant effect. Although the frequency of subsequent neurologic and cardiac abnormalities was similar in all four groups, significantly fewer patients given penicillin developed arthritis than did untreated patients (P = 0.001). Among 15 patients with arthritis who were followed for at least 29 months, the total duration of joint involvement was shorter in penicillin-treated patients (median, 4 weeks) than in untreated patients (17 weeks; P = 0.019). Although the clinical manifestations of the disease may fluctuate in frequency from year to year and influence apparent antibiotic effect, we conclude that penicillin therapy shortens the duration of erythema chronicum migrans and may prevent or attenuate subsequent arthritis.

The early clinical manifestations of Lyme disease.

Lyme disease, caused by a tick-transmitted spirochete, typically begins with a unique skin lesion, erythema chronicum migrans. Of 314 patients with this skin lesion, almost half developed multiple annular secondary lesions; some patients had evanescent red blotches or circles, malar or urticarial rash, conjunctivitis, periorbital edema, or diffuse erythema. Skin manifestations were often accompanied by malaise and fatigue, headache, fever and chills, generalized achiness, and regional lymphadenopathy. In addition, patients sometimes had evidence of meningeal irritation, mild encephalopathy, migratory musculoskeletal pain, hepatitis, generalized lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly, sore throat, nonproductive cough, or testicular swelling. These signs and symptoms were typically intermittent and changing during a period of several weeks. The commonest nonspecific laboratory abnormalities were a high sedimentation rate, an elevated serum IgM level, or an increased aspartate transaminase level. Early Lyme disease can be diagnosed by its dermatologic manifestations, rapidly changing system involvement, and if necessary, by serologic testing.

The clinical spectrum and treatment of Lyme disease.

Lyme disease was recognized as a separate entity because of close geographic clustering of affected children in Lyme, Connecticut, with what was thought to be juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It then became apparent that Lyme disease is a complex, multisystem disorder. The illness usually begins in summer with erythema chronicum migrans and associated symptoms (stage 1). Weeks to months later, some patients develop neurologic or cardiac abnormalities (stage 2), and weeks to years later, many patients develop intermittent attacks of arthritis (stage 3), which may become chronic, with erosion of cartilage and bone. Patients with severe and prolonged illness have an increased frequency of the B-cell alloantigen, DR2. For patients with early Lyme disease, tetracycline appears to be the most effective drug, then penicillin, and finally erythromycin. High-dose intravenous penicillin is effective for the later stages of the disease.