Follow-up of Patients Treated with Oral Doxycycline for Lyme neuroborreliosis

Abstract

The clinical outcome for 69 patients treated with oral doxycycline for Lyme neuroborreliosis was studied retrospectively. The clinical follow-up time was 14 d to 2 y (median 7 months). All patients improved during and after treatment. A complete recovery was seen in 56 patients by 14 d to 9 months (median 6 weeks) after therapy, while 13 patients (19%) still had persistent sequelae 1 y after antibiotic treatment. Six patients were retreated because of new or persistent symptoms, but in no patient was a treatment failure proven. A questionnaire was sent to each patient, asking for time to recovery, sequelae and relapse of symptoms. No patient had experienced relapse of symptoms associated with Lyme neuroborreliosis when answering the questionnaire 2?9 y after treatment. Oral doxycycline seems to be an effective, convenient and inexpensive alternative for the treatment of Lyme neuroborreliosis.