The impact of new diagnostic methodologies in the management of meningitis in adults at a teaching hospital.
BACKGROUND
Suspected meningitis is a frequent reason for admission to hospital in the UK. While bacterial meningitis requires prompt antibiotic therapy to reduce mortality and morbidity, enteroviral meningitis, the most frequent viral cause, is almost invariably a benign disease.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the clinical presentation, laboratory findings and outcome of meningitis by microbiological aetiology and patient age, and to assess the clinical management of adults presenting with meningitis, with reference to national guidelines.


METHODS
Retrospective case-note review.


METHODS
Adult (>14 years) admissions to Addenbrooke's Hospital with meningitis or meningococcal septicaemia March 1996-September 2001 were audited retrospectively. The case definition was: symptoms compatible with meningitis, and either abnormal CSF (leukocytes >5x10(9)/ml) or meningococcal disease. The only exclusion criterion was the presence of a ventricular shunt.


RESULTS
Only 30% of patients seen by a General Practitioner were given pre-admission antibiotics. In a substantial number of cases, including those with bacterial meningitis, antibiotic administration was delayed either because patients were sent for CT head scans (delaying a lumbar puncture) or because the diagnosis was not considered, especially in elderly patients with reduced conscious levels. There were no confirmed cases of H. influenzae meningitis. Overall outcomes in terms of mortality and disability were similar to UK national data. A surprising number of patients (40%) were afebrile on admission.


CONCLUSIONS
The proportion of patients with meningitis given pre-hospital antibiotics by GPs is still worryingly low, although early hospital management has improved. Improved diagnostic facilities, particularly viral PCR assays, reduce antibiotic usage and hospital stay, with considerable financial savings.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards; D006760:Hospitalization; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008587:Meningitis, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents