title: [Purulent meningitis at the Marselisborg Hospital 1980-1990].
abstract: From 1980-1990 245 immunocompetent patients were admitted to The Department of Infectious Diseases, Marselisborg Hospital with purulent meningitis or meningococcal septicaemia. The clinical diagnosis was established by clinical examination and by neutrophil pleocytosis. The aetiological diagnosis was established by demonstration of bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid by microscopy or culture and by blood culture. Clinical signs of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) or demonstration of meningococcal antibodies (MAT) in serum were considered diagnostic for meningococcal disease. The group comprised 120 males and 125 females aged 0-90 years. One hundred and eleven (45%) had meningococcal disease, 69 (28%) had pneumococcal meningitis, and 20 (8%) had H. influenzae-meningitis. Other aetiologies occurred in one to six cases. No aetiology could be established in 25 (10%) patients. Patients with meningococcal and pneumococcal disease were treated with monotherapy with high doses of penicillin, and H. influenzae-meningitis was treated with ampicillin. In patients with meningitis of unknown aetiology penicillin was used, except in children below the age of five where ampicillin was used. In patients with meningococcal disease the mortality was 5.4%, and 17% developed sequelae. In pneumococcal meningitis the corresponding figures were 13% and 17%, and in H. influenzae-meningitis 0% and 5% respectively. Among 20 patients with other aetiologies one patient (5%) died, and eight (40%) developed sequelae, whereas one patient (4%) died, and one (4%) developed sequelae in the group with meningitis of unknown aetiology. No ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae-strains were demonstrated. We suggest that monotherapy with betalactam-antibiotics is still a valuable treatment for meningitis in Denmark.
authors: Medicinsk-epidemisk afdeling A., Marselisborg Hospital, Arhus.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Hansen
authors: F T
authors: FT
authors: Black
authors: P L
authors: PL
authors: Andersen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008587:Meningitis, Viral / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013492:Suppuration
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
vernacular_title: Purulent meningitis ved Marselisborg Hospital 1980-1990.