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Functional and behavioral outcome of bacterial meningitis in school-aged survivors

George Vartzelis1, Vasiliki Vasilopoulou, Antonios Katsioulis

  • 1First Department of Pediatrics, Aghia Sofia Children's Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece. yioran@yahoo.com

Pediatrics International : Official Journal of the Japan Pediatric Society
|April 22, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Children and teenagers who recover from bacterial meningitis generally show good functional and behavioral outcomes. This study found no significant differences in abilities or behavior compared to healthy peers.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Bacterial meningitis is a severe infection linked to significant neurological and functional impairments.
  • Assessing long-term outcomes in pediatric meningitis survivors is crucial for understanding disease impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate functional and behavioral problems in children and teenagers after bacterial meningitis.
  • To compare outcomes of meningitis survivors with a healthy control group.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 30 children and teenagers with a history of bacterial meningitis (onset after 6 months) was compared to 30 healthy controls.
  • The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) by Achenbach was used to assess abilities and behavioral issues in both groups.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant differences were observed between the bacterial meningitis survivor group and the healthy control group.
  • Both groups demonstrated comparable levels of abilities and behavioral problem scores.

Conclusions:

  • School-aged survivors of bacterial meningitis, contracted after the first six months of life, exhibit a favorable prognosis.
  • These survivors generally present with good competence and behavioral profiles, similar to their healthy peers.
Abstract

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