Childhood bacterial meningitis in Pondicherry, South India.
Indian J Pediatr
;
2001 Sep; 68(9): 839-41
Article
in English
| IMSEAR
| ID: sea-81228
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To identify causative bacteria from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of children with meningitis and analyse various clinical and laboratory parameters.METHODS:
Over a 20 month period, September 1994 to April 1996, one hundred episodes of acute bacterial meningitis in children aged 1 month-12 years were studied in a tertiary urban hospital in South India. Organisms were isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 35% of cases. Among infants and children, the two major pathogens were H. influenzae (17%) and S. pneumoniae (12%).RESULTS:
The illness at presentation was mild in 13% and severe in 36% of cases. The association of subdural effusion in children with Salmonella Gp B meningitis merits attention. The overall case fatality rate was 25%. S. pneumoniae had a higher case fatality rate than Salmonella Gp B and H. influenzae (50% vs 17% vs 12%). All the three infants below 3 months of age with S. pneumoniae meningitis died. On analysis of selected clinical and laboratory features by discriminant analysis, CSF culture was the significant (P = 0.02) variable in relation to outcome. In pneumococcal meningitis, CSF WBC count was a highly significant variable in relation to outcome (Wilk's Lambda 0.15, F = 24.64, P = 0.0002).CONCLUSION:
Prevention of infections due to H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae should be given higher priority.
Full text:
Available
Index:
IMSEAR (South-East Asia)
Main subject:
Salmonella
/
Streptococcus pneumoniae
/
Severity of Illness Index
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Infant, Newborn
/
Cerebrospinal Fluid
/
Child
/
Child, Preschool
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Indian J Pediatr
Year:
2001
Type:
Article
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