title: Cerebellar ataxia as the presenting manifestation of Lyme disease.
abstract: A 7-year-old boy from suburban Baltimore who presented with cerebellar ataxia and headaches was found by magnetic resonance imaging to have multiple cerebellar enhancing lesions. He had no history of tick exposure. He was initially treated with steroids for presumptive postinfectious encephalitis. Lyme disease was diagnosed 10 weeks later after arthritis developed. Testing of the cerebrospinal fluid obtained at the time cerebellar ataxia was diagnosed revealed intrathecal antibody production to Borrelia burgdorferi. Treatment with intravenous antibiotics led to rapid resolution of persistent cerebellar findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Ravit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arav-Boger
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Allen C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Steere
authors.forename: Neal A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Halsey
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000209:etiology*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents