A Clinical Ebservation on Meningitis in Infancy and Childhood

ABSTRACT

There hundred and twenty five cases of meningitis, in infancy and childhood, consisting of 117 cases of purulent meningitis, 59 cases of aseptic meningitis and 149 cases of tuberculons meningitis, which were admitted to the wonju christian hospital between April 1966 and March 1976, were clinically observed and the following results were obtained. 1.Sex ratio was 2.01 in purulent meningitis, and aseptic meningitis and 1.91 in tuberculons meningitis. 2. The highest incidence in infancy was purulent meningitis (78.5%) and over 6 years was aseptic meningitis (44.1%) and under 6 years was tuberculous meningitis (71.6%). 3. The seosonal peak incidence was spring and summer for purulent meningitis and summer and winter for aseptic and tuberculer meningitis. 4. Fever was the most comon symptom followed by vomiting, headache, and unconsciousness in that order of frequency and the most common neurologic finding on admission was neck stiffness, kernig's sign, Burudzinsk's sign, etc in three meningitis. 5. Among preceding and associated chiseases, U.R.I. was the common(19.7%) in purulent ans aseptic meningitis (28.8%) and pulmonary tuberculous (24.8%) and miliary tuberculeus (16.1%) in tuberculous meningitis. 6. In C.S.F. examination on admissin day. Cell count were frequent 50~500/mm3 in aseptic meningitis (76.9%) and tuberculous meningitis (80.5%). Sugar levels under 40mg/dl showed 62.5% of cases of purulent meningitis, 76.6% of cases of tuberculous meningitis and 8.5% of cases of the aseptic meningitis. Protein levels were the most common in 100~500mg/dl in the purulent meningitis (61.5%) and the tuberculous meningitis (53%) and under 40mg/dl(54.2%) in the asephicmeningitis. 7. Known mortality rate was 64% for the purulent meningitis, 67.5% for the aseptic meningitis, and complications showed in 7.7% in the purulent meningitis 10% in the tuberculous meningitis.