FRIDAY, June 8, 2007 (HealthDay News) -- A few weeks of antibiotics as recommended are highly effective for treating patients with nervous system Lyme disease, but there's no evidence prolonged antibiotic treatment offers a benefit, according to new expert guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology.
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by bacteria carried by ticks. The nervous system is affected in about 10 percent to 15 percent of patients infected with Lyme disease.
"While other guidelines exist to help diagnose and treat general Lyme disease, there continues to be considerable controversy and uncertainty about the best approach to treating neuroborreliosis, in which Lyme disease involves the nervous system," the lead author of the new guidelines, Dr. John J. Halperin of Atlantic Health in Summit, N.J., said in a prepared statement.
He and his colleagues analyzed all available scientific studies on the topic and found that the intravenous antibiotics penicillin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, and the oral antibiotic doxycycline are likely safe and effective when taken for 14 to 28 days by children and adults.
While other oral antibiotics, such as amoxicillin and cefuroxime axetil, may also be safe and effective, there is not enough evidence to recommend their use, the guideline authors said.
They also concluded that long-term use of antibiotics does not benefit Lyme disease patients who continue to have symptoms after receiving standard antibiotic treatment.
The guideline was published in the May 23 online issue of the journal Neurology.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about Lyme disease.
