Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27686962›Full record

ArticleBMC neurology2016

Efficacy and safety of pharmacological treatments for Lyme neuroborreliosis in children: a systematic review.

Rick Dersch, Tilman Hottenrott, Stefanie Schmidt, Harriet Sommer, Hans-Iko Huppertz, Sebastian Rauer, Joerg J Meerpohl

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC neurology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. Guideline
  3. Lyme Neuroborreliosis.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2018
    Pooled it
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Attenuation of relapsing fever neuroborreliosis in mice by IL-17A blockade.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2022
    Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Rick DerschCochrane Germany, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Berliner Allee 29, D-79110, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. rick.dersch@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
Tilman HottenrottDepartment of Neurology, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Breisacher Str. 64, D-79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Stefanie SchmidtCochrane Germany, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Berliner Allee 29, D-79110, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Harriet SommerInstitute of Medical Biometry and Statistics, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Str- 26, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany.
Hans-Iko HuppertzProf.-Hess-Kinderklinik, Klinikum Bremen-Mitte, Sankt-Jürgen-Str. 1, D-28177, Bremen, Germany.
Sebastian RauerDepartment of Neurology, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Breisacher Str. 64, D-79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Joerg J MeerpohlCochrane Germany, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Berliner Allee 29, D-79110, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
University of Freiburg · DEDeutsche Gesellschaft für Urologie · DEInserm · FRKlinikum Bremen-Mitte · DEUniversity Medical Center Freiburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMany aspects of pharmacological treatment of Lyme neuroborreliosis in children, such as choice of drug, dosage, and duration are subject to intense debates, leading to uncertainties in patients' parents and healthcare providers alike. To assess the available evidence for pharmacological treatment for children with Lyme neuroborreliosis we conducted a systematic review.

methodsThe comprehensive systematic literature search included randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies (NRS) on treatment of Lyme neuroborreliosis in children (age <18 years). Our primary outcome was neurological symptoms after treatment. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias tools for RCTs and NRS. Quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

resultsTwo RCTs and four NRS were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias in RCTs and NRS was generally high. Reporting of studies was generally poor. Regarding the primary outcome neurological symptoms at 1-3 months, no statistically significant difference could be found in cohort studies between doxycycline and beta-lactam antibiotics. In two RCTs comparing penicillin G and ceftriaxone, no patient experienced residual neurological symptoms at the last reported time points. Quality of evidence according to GRADE was judged very low.

conclusionsData is scarce and with limited quality. Several issues could not be addressed due to scarcity of information. No eligible study compared different treatment durations. According to the available evidence, there seems to be no difference between different antibiotic agents for the treatment of Lyme neuroborreliosis in children regarding neurological symptoms. We found no evidence that supports extended antibiotic regimes. REVIEW REGISTRATION: Systematic review registration: CRD42014008839 .

Identifiers

PMID27686962
PMCPMC5043629
OpenAlexW2525527509

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.