title: Acute illnesses in the 2 weeks after hospitalization for bacterial meningitis.
abstract: The hospital records of 118 2-month-old to 3-year-old children who had been treated for bacterial meningitis were reviewed. Within 2 weeks after hospitalization, one fourth of the patients sought medical attention for an acute illness, but only one was treated for the possible relapse or recurrence of meningitis. Because only five of the 113 patients with available follow-up information required a diagnostic lumbar puncture procedure, it is not recommended that a lumbar puncture be performed following treatment of bacterial meningitis to provide end-of-treatment baseline information.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008581:Meningitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008583:Meningitis, Haemophilus / Q000175:diagnosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013129:Spinal Puncture; D013997:Time Factors