Acute Bacterial Meningitis in Children

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and laboratory findings and etiological spectrum of the patients with acute bacterial meningitis in the last 9 years. Material and methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of 44 patients with acute bacterial meningitis. Results: The median age of patients was 11 months (1 month-13 years) and the male/female ratio was 2.38. The most common symptoms were fever (90.9%), vomiting (61.4%), lethargy (40.9%), headache (38.6%) and convulsion (25%). The agents were detected in 25 patients (56.8%). The most frequently detected agents were Streptococcus pneumoniae (27.3%), Haemophilus influenzae type b (11.4%) and Neisseria meningitidis (11.4%), and in 19 patients (43.2%) no agents could be determined. In 11 patients (25%) complications developed, these being subdural effusion (3 patients), subdural empyema (3 patients), hydrocephalus (2 patients), hearing loss (2 patients), and hydrocephalus-epilepsy (1 patient). None of the patients died. Conclusions: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common agent. Despite advances in vaccine development, chemoprophylaxis and treatment, acute bacterial meningitis remains a significant cause of substantial morbidity in children.