Children are the largest population of Lyme patients. The CDC study of reported Lyme cases from 1992–2006 found that the incidence of new cases was highest among 5–14-year-olds (9).
About one quarter of reported Lyme cases in the United States involve children under 14 years old (29).
Children can have all the signs and symptoms of Lyme that adults have, but they may have trouble telling you exactly what they feel or where it hurts. You may notice a decline in school performance, or your child’s mood swings may become problematic. Your child’s social and speech skills or motor coordination may regress. Or your child may lose their appetite.
Children are more likely than adults to have arthritis as an initial symptom (25). In a 2012 Nova Scotian study of children with Lyme, 65 percent developed Lyme arthritis (30). Knees are the most commonly affected joint.