title: [Lyme arthritis in childhood: monarthritis of the knee joint, clinically indistinguishable from monarthritis of unknown origin].
abstract: Four children with monarthritis of the knee had no further manifestations of Lyme borreliosis, but a positive antibody titer against Borrelia burgdorferi as measured by Elisa. About 3 years after antibiotic therapy none of the children had arthritis, but one suffered from fibromyalgia and another child had still a vigorous reactivity against Borrelia burgdorferi antigens by Elisa and immunoblot. In this study 4 out of 20 children with recently recognized arthritis had Lyme arthritis which makes it a rather frequent disease. The clinical presentation could not distinguish these 4 children from 4 other children with monarthritis of the knee of unknown origin. In the absence of better diagnostic criteria, the association of monarthritis, not otherwise explained, with a positive Lyme serology seems to be sufficient evidence to establish a diagnosis of Lyme arthritis. After confirmation of the diagnosis children should be treated without delay.
authors.affiliation: Universitäts-Kinderklinik, Würzburg.
authors.forename: H I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Huppertz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karch
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000276:immunology; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M
vernacular_title: Die Lyme-Arthritis im Kindesalter: Monarthritis des Kniegelenks, klinisch nicht unterscheidbar von Monarthritiden unbekannter Ursache.