Long-term prognosis after H. influenzae meningitis: prospective evaluation.
A prospective, long-term evaluation was made of 22 children who had recovered from H. influenzae type B meningitis. At the time of the illness they had been either between two months and two years of age (Group A) or over four years of age (Group B), the purpose being to compare outcome in infants with that in older children. Two children, one in each group, had neurological or auditory sequelae. None of the others had neurological or auditory deficit, nor was there evidence of growth retardation. Fifteen of the children were tested psychometrically, using siblings as controls. Five had IQs between 70 and 90, but in all but one case their siblings had similar IQs. Five of seven children in Group B performed poorly on two items in the psychometric test, but so did their siblings. This study suggests that care is needed in selecting a control group with which to compare children being tested for psychomotor retardation after meningitis.
D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007360:Intelligence; D008583:Meningitis, Haemophilus / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D011379:Prognosis