title: [Clinical characterization of cases with meningococcal disease by W135 group in Chile, 2012].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During 2012 in Chile, there were 60 cases of serogroup W135 meningococcal disease, which accounts for 57.7% of identified serogroup cases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe main clinical features of patients with serogroup W135 meningococcal disease confirmed in 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study of case series based on retrospective review of medical records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Male patients represented 61.7% and 46.7% were children under 5 years. At first clinical attention, 3.4% of patients were suspected of meningococcal disease, while 83.3% had meningococcemia as final diagnosis. Also at first attention, the most common symptoms or clinical signs were fever ≥ 38.0° C (60.3%), cold symptoms (52.5%), and nausea or vomiting (46.7%). Meningeal signs had a low frequency (8.7%). Diarrhea was the second most common symptom found among deceased patients (55.6%) and statistically higher than survivors (26.8%; p = 0.034). Six cases reported with sequelae: limb amputation, hearing loss or neurological damage, and mortality was 31.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In 2012, serogroup W135 meningococcal disease reported high mortality, atypical clinical presentation, low initial meningococcal disease diagnosis, and a high number of cases with poor clinical course.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Epidemiología, División de Planificación Sanitaria, Subsecretaría de Salud Pública, Ministerio de Salud, Santiago, Chile, gabriela.moreno@minsal.cl.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Darío
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vergara
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gallegos
authors.forename: María F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Advis
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loayza
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D038582:Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup W-135 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D055815:Young Adult