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Neonatal meningitis in England and Wales: sequelae at 5 years of age

John de Louvois1, Susan Halket, David Harvey

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK. j.delouvois@btinternet.com

European Journal of Pediatrics
|September 2, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal meningitis survivors face high rates of serious disability, despite improved survival. Bacterial meningitis in neonates significantly increases long-term disability risk in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Neonatal meningitis is a serious infection in newborns.
  • Long-term outcomes for survivors require ongoing investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of serious sequelae in children who had neonatal meningitis.
  • To compare outcomes with control groups and historical data.
  • To identify predictors of long-term disability.

Main Methods:

  • National cohort study of children born in England and Wales (1996-7).
  • Comparison with general practitioner and hospital-matched controls.
  • Follow-up via questionnaires to GPs and parents at age 5.
  • Analysis of data from a previous 1985-7 cohort.

Main Results:

  • 23% of children with neonatal meningitis had serious disability at age 5, versus 2% (GP controls) and 7% (hospital controls).
  • 16-fold increased risk of disability compared to GP controls; 4-fold vs. hospital controls.
  • Bacterial isolation from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was the best predictor of disability.

Conclusions:

  • Despite a 70% reduction in acute mortality, serious sequelae rates remain high (23.5% in 1996 vs. 25.5% in 1985).
  • Neonatal meningitis survivors face a significantly elevated risk of long-term disability.
Abstract

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