Successful Parenteral Penicillin Therapy of Established Lyme Arthritis
- 4 April 1985
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by Massachusetts Medical Society in New England Journal of Medicine
- Vol. 312 (14), 869-874
- https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm198504043121401
Abstract
In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial carried out from 1980 to 1982, 20 patients with established Lyme arthritis were assigned treatment with 2.4 million U of intramuscular benzathine penicillin weekly for three weeks (total, 7.2 million U) and 20 patients received saline. Seven of the 20 penicillin-treated patients (35 per cent) had complete resolution of arthritis soon after the injections and have remained well during a mean follow-up period of 33 months. In contrast, all 20 patients given placebo continued to have attacks of arthritis (P<0.02). In 1983, of 20 patients treated with intravenous penicillin G, 20 million U a day for 10 days, 11 (55 per cent) had complete resolution of arthritis and have remained well since.Keywords
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