Relation of concentrations of Haemophilus influenzae type b in cerebrospinal fluid to late sequelae of patients with meningitis

William E. Feldman, Charles M. Ginsburg, George H. McCracken, Dolores Allen, Peter Ahmann, J. Graham, L. Graham

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

64 Scopus citations

Abstract

Forty-four patients with Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis had follow-up evaluations approximately one year after hospital discharge. Patients with >-107 colony-forming units of H. influenzae type b per milliliters CSF had significantly greater frequencies of speech impairment (P<0.001), hearing loss (P=0.04), and moderate or severe neurologic sequelae (P<0.01). Patients with ≥1 μg H. influenzae b antigen/ml CSF had a greater incidence of hearing loss (P=0.03) but not of speech abnormalities (P=0.06) or other neurologic sequelae (P=0.64). Glucose concentrations <10 mg/dl correlated with the incidence of hearing loss (P=0.02) and speech impairment (P=0.02). "Partial" antibiotic therapy, CSF protein concentrations, and number of CSF polymorphonuclear leukocytes did not correlate well with sequelae. These data indicate that pretreatment concentrations of H. influenzae b and glucose concentrations in CSF were the best predictors of late sequelae of patients with H. influenzae b meningitis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)209-212
Number of pages4
JournalThe Journal of pediatrics
Volume100
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1982

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

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