Treatment Duration for Lyme Disease
Summary and conclusions
SBU Alert Report No. 2013-05
Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment
December 6, 2013
Better research, consisting of properly designed and well conducted studies measuring both benefits and risks, is needed to determine the optimal duration of antibiotic treatment for Lyme borreliosis. There is currently insufficient evidence to determine whether extending antibiotic treatment beyond 10 to 14 days improves health outcomes for patients with erythema migrans.
There is insufficient evidence to determine if extended antibiotic treatment has any significant effect on neuroborreliosis, Lyme arthritis or other persistent symptoms of Lyme borreliosis.
The extended treatment (>21 days) with antibiotics (ceftriaxone) via peripherally inserted central catheter, is associated with a not-insignificant risk of serious and potentially life-threatening complications.
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Bookshelf ID: NBK316446, PMID: 26803867
