Twelve year outcomes following bacterial meningitis: further evidence for persisting effects.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether intellectual and cognitive impairments observed seven years following early childhood bacterial meningitis persist into adolescence.


METHODS
Blinded neuropsychological, auditory, and behaviour assessments were conducted in 109 (69%) subjects from an original cohort of 158 children, seven and 12 years after their meningitis, and in 96 controls.


RESULTS
Meningitis subjects remained at greater risk than controls for any disability (odds ratio OR 4.7, confidence interval 2.2 to 9.6). Those with acute neurological complications had more sequelae than children with uncomplicated meningitis or controls (47% v 30% v 11.5% respectively; p < 0.001). Differences in intellectual, academic, and high level cognitive function between subjects and controls were maintained at the seven and 12 year assessments. In contrast, lower order skills improved, while behaviour scores deteriorated significantly (p = 0.033).


CONCLUSIONS
Many of the deficits identified at the seven year follow up persist 12 years after an episode of bacterial meningitis.
Grimwood
K
K
Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. grimwood@wnmeds.ac.nz
Anderson
P
P
Anderson
V
V
Tan
L
L
Nolan
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology