Early neurologic complications and long-term sequelae of childhood bacterial meningitis in a limited-resource country (Kosovo).

PURPOSE: Since neurologic complications of childhood bacterial meningitis are encountered frequently despite antibiotic treatments, the purpose of this study was to analyze early neurologic complications and long-term sequelae of bacterial meningitis in children in a limited-resource country (Kosovo) METHODS: This study uses a retrospective chart review of children treated for bacterial meningitis in two study periods: 277 treated during years 1997-2002 and 77 children treated during years 2009-2010. RESULTS: Of the 277 vs 77 children treated for bacterial meningitis, 60 (22%) vs 33 (43%) patients developed early neurologic complications, while there were 15 (5.4%) vs 2 (2.6%) deaths. The most frequent early neurologic complications were the following: subdural effusions (13 vs 29%), recurrent seizures (11 vs 8%), and hydrocephalus (3 vs 3%). The relative risk (95% confidence interval) for neurologic complications was the highest in infants (3.56 (2.17-5.92) vs 2.69 (1.62-4.59)) and in cases caused by Haemophilus influenzae 1.94 (1.09-3.18) vs Streptococcus pneumoniae 2.57(1.26-4.47). Long-term sequelae were observed in 10 vs 12% of children, predominantly in infants. The most frequent long-term sequelae were late seizures 9 vs 1%, neuropsychological impairment 1 vs 5%, and deafness 1 vs 3%. CONCLUSIONS: In both study periods, the most frequent early neurologic complications of childhood bacterial meningitis were subdural effusions. Long-term sequelae were observed in 10% of children, with late seizures, neuropsychological impairment, and deafness being the most common one. Age prior to 12 months was risk factor for both early neurologic complications and long-term sequelae of bacterial meningitis in children.

Surgical treatment of neurologic complications of bacterial meningitis in children in Kosovo.

UNLABELLED: Neurologic complications of bacterial meningitis can occur any time during the course of the disease and some of them need neurosurgical aproach. OBJECTIVE: to determine the incidence of neurologic complications of bacterial meningitis in children requring neurosurgical treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGY: a total of 277 children were followed and treated for bacterial meningitis at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases in Prishtina. The authors have analyzed cases who developed acute neurologic complications and treatment procedures. RESULTS: of the 277 children treated for bacterial meningitis, due to the suspicion for neurologic complications, 109 children underwent a head computerized tomography scan. About 47 cases (43%) had evident structural abnormalities while only 15/277 cases (5%) required neurosurgical treatment; 9/38 cases with subdural collections, 5 cases with hydrocephalus and 1 case of spinal abscess. CONCLUSION: Neurosurgical intervention were not common in pediatric bacterial meningitis cases (5%) but were highly significant in cases complicated with acute neurologic complications (32%).

Early symptomatic and late seizures in Kosovar children with bacterial meningitis.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the dramatic decrease of mortality rate among children with bacterial meningitis in recent decades, some patients are left with neurologic sequelae. The purpose of this study was to analyze the occurrence of seizures as predictors for meningitis-related deaths or neurological sequelae including late seizures. METHODS: This study uses a retrospective chart review of 277 children (aged 0-16 years, median 2 years, 162 boys) treated for bacterial meningitis in University Clinical Centre in Prishtina (Kosovo). RESULTS: Of the 277 children treated for bacterial meningitis, 60 children (22%) manifested seizures prior to admission, 57 children (21%) had seizures after admission, and late seizures were diagnosed in 24 children (9%). The risk for adverse outcome was significantly higher in patients who had seizures prior to admission (52/60) and in patients who manifested seizures later than 24 h (41/41; RR 8.17 and 6.78 respectively, p < 0.0001). All children who manifested late seizures were diagnosed with meningitis-related acute neurologic complications: subdural effusion (18), hydrocephalus (6), intracranial bleeding (1), and subdural empyema (2). Of the 60 children who presented seizures prior to admission, only 11 manifested late seizures. CONCLUSIONS: Seizures prior to admission were predictors of high risk of adverse outcome in bacterial meningitis in children. The risk of secondary epilepsy (9%) occurred only in children with evident structural neurologic complications during the acute phase of bacterial meningitis.

The outcome of bacterial meningitis in children is related to the initial antimicrobial therapy.

Even when highly effective antibiotic therapy is provided to patients, death and long-term disabilities are common outcomes of acute bacterial meningitis (BM) in developing countries. The aim of this study was to analyze how the outcome of disease was related to the initial antimicrobial therapy used to treat the patients. We analyzed 277 children younger than 16 years of age who were treated for BM in the Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Prishtina, Kosova, over a six-year period. Of the 277 children treated for BM, 36.1% of cases were given initial antimicrobial therapy with one antibiotic, 63.2% of cases received two antibiotics and 0.7% of the cases received three antibiotics. Of the 60 patients who had neurologic complications (NC), 50 (28.6%) were treated with two antibiotics, 9 (9%) received one antibiotic and 1 patient was treated with three antibiotics. The antibiotics used most often as monotherapy were penicillin G (63 cases) and ceftriaxone (33 cases). The incidence of NC was higher in children treated with ceftriaxone (NC=22%, mortality [M]=3%) compared with patients treated with penicillin G (NC=3%, M=0). The most commonly used combination of antibiotics was ceftriaxone with chloramphenicol (82 cases) followed by penicillin G with chloramphenicol (63 cases). The incidences of NC and M were higher in children treated with ceftriaxone and chloramphenicol (NC=43%, M=8%) compared to children treated with penicillin G and chloramphenicol (NC=13%, M=3%). The initial treatment of BM with penicillin G did not result in death and was associated with a lower incidence of NC compared with the use of ceftriaxone. The combination of penicillin G and chloramphenicol resulted in a lower incidence of NC and M compared with the combination of ceftriaxone and chloramphenicol.

The epidemiology of bacterial meningitis in Kosovo.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to present the epidemiologic features of bacterial meningitis in the developing country of Kosovo. METHODOLOGY: Data were collected from active surveillance of bacterial meningitis cases treated at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo in the years 2000 (first post-war year) and 2010. RESULTS: Meningitis cases in 2000 compared with 2010 showed a 35.5% decline in incidence (from 4.8 to 3.1 cases per 100,000 population) and a decrease in the case fatality rate from 10% to 5%. In children, there was a lower mortality rate (5% versus 2%) and a lower incidence of neurological complications (13% versus 16%) as compared to adults (32% versus 10% and 16% versus 35%, respectively). Neisseria meningitidis was the most common pathogen of bacterial meningitis in both study periods. Bacterial meningitis was most prevalent in the pediatric population, and showed an increase in the median age, from three years in 2000 to seven years in 2010. A steady number of bacterial meningitis cases in adults throughout last decade (around 20 cases per year) was recorded. CONCLUSIONS: During the last decade, gradual changes have been observed in the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis that are unrelated to the introduction of new vaccines, but are partly due to the improvement of living conditions.

Mortality from bacterial meningitis in children in Kosovo.

Bacterial meningitis is a severe infection responsible for high mortality. This prospective study of 277 pediatric bacterial meningitis cases was done to identify factors predicting death in children <16 years of age living and treated in a limited-resources country (Kosovo). Of the 277 children enrolled, 60 patients (22%) developed neurologic complications, and 15 children died (5%). The following variables were strongly correlated with mortality: altered mental status on admission (relative risk [RR] = 29.9), presentation of the initial cerebrospinal fluid as thick pus (RR = 29.9), prehospital seizures (RR = 23.5) and their recurrence >24 hours after admission (RR = 11.5), age <1 month (RR = 19.3), the use of inotropic agents (RR = 11.5), and admission after 5 days' duration of illness (P < .001). The mortality rate in children in Kosovo is similar to those reported from developing countries, and this is most likely due to the unfavorable living conditions.