title: Viral meningitis admitted to an infectious diseases hospital: a retrospective case series.
abstract: Given its epidemic potential and development of severe forms of disease, viral meningitis (VM) is a serious public health problem.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to characterize the main clinical, epidemiologic features, the etiology and treatment of VM cases admitted to the Iasi Infectious Diseases Hospital, in 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of the patients admitted for viral meningitis at the Iasi "St. Parascheva" Infectious Diseases Hospital in the interval January 1- December 31, 2012 (98 cases). The etiologic diagnosis was made by determining the IgM/IgG antibodies against Coxsackie virus and/or West Nile virus in blood/CSF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a fourfold increase in the number of cases as compared to the average for the years 2009-2011. Most cases (73.5%) were children aged 1 to 14 years. 61.8% of patients were males, 51.7% from urban areas. The most common symptom was headache (85.7%), followed by fever (77.6%), and vomiting (66.3%). Neck stiffness was absent in 28.6% cases. In43.5% of the 39 patients serologically investigated a Coxsackie virus infection was confirmed and 1/20 was positive for West Nile virus; three varicella-zoster virus infections and one mumps infection were diagnosed clinically. 68.3% of the patients received first-line antibiotic treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The illness mainly affected children, fever and neck stiffness being sometimes absent. The etiology was known in 22.4% of cases; enter viruses being the most frequent causative agent. Most patients received antibiotic therapy. The course was favorable in all cases.
authors: Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Grigore T. Popa" - Iaşi.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Vâţă
authors: Cătălina M
authors: CM
authors: Luca
authors: Elena
authors: E
authors: Duca
authors: Teodorescu
authors: T
authors: Irina
authors: Carmen
authors: C
authors: Manciuc
authors: Luminita G
authors: LG
authors: Vâţă
authors: Carmen
authors: C
authors: Dorobăţ
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000821:virology; D006261:Headache / Q000821:virology; D055819:Hospitals, Isolation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008587:Meningitis, Viral / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014839:Vomiting / Q000821:virology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000302:isolation & purification