Risk factors for death and severe neurological sequelae in childhood bacterial meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa.
We report a morality rate of 33% among 403 children with bacterial meningitis in Angola. A fatal outcome was associated with impaired consciousness, severe dyspnea, and seizures, and severe neurological sequelae (found in 25% of our patients) was associated with delayed presentation to the hospital, impaired consciousness, and seizures. Being underweight was of secondary importance. Treatment with ceftriaxone, rather than with penicillin plus chloramphenicol, did not improve outcome.
Pelkonen
Tuula
T
Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola. tuulapelkonen@hotmail.com
Roine
Irmeli
I
Monteiro
Lurdes
L
Correia
Margarida
M
Pitkäranta
Anne
A
Bernardino
Luis
L
Peltola
Heikki
H
D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D000810:Angola; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003244:Consciousness Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents