The clinical features and long-term sequelae of invasive meningococcal disease in children

Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2014 Jul;33(7):777-9. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000000282.

Abstract

We evaluated the outcome of invasive meningococcal disease in children <15 years of age (n = 181). Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B comprised 78% of bacterial isolates. Case fatality rate was 11.6%. In follow-up interviews (115/160 survivors, 72%), at least 1 long-term sequela was reported in 38/115 children (33%), including learning-academic difficulties (22.6%), hearing impairment (7%), neurologic (12.2%), behavioral (14.8%) and motor (10.4%) deficits.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Hearing Loss / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Learning Disabilities / epidemiology*
  • Male
  • Memory Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Meningitis, Meningococcal / complications*
  • Meningitis, Meningococcal / mortality
  • Meningitis, Meningococcal / pathology*
  • Mortality
  • Neisseria meningitidis / isolation & purification*
  • Prevalence
  • Psychomotor Disorders / epidemiology*