Updated Epidemiological Aspects and outcome of Meningitis Cases at Abbassia Fever Hospital during the Period 2006-2017

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Tropical Medicine , Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Egypt.

2 Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University, Egypt.

3 Abbassia Fever Hospital, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

Background and study aim: Meningitis remains a major public health challenge.  Epidemiology of meningitis   has greatly changed,  our aim is to report updates of epidemiologic aspects of meningitis cases including  commonest etiologies & outcome.
Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptivestudy in which data was retrieved from hospital records of patients  older than 18years  with an admitting or discharge diagnosis of meningitis presented to   Abbassia Fever Hospital in the time period 2006-2017.
Results: A total of 959 patients were admitted to Abbassia Fever Hosiptal with final diagnosis of meningitis /meningioencephalitis in the time period 2006-2017. 61% aged (24-64 years), males (64.4%), more cases were reported in spring (38%) than other seasons, specifically in April (15%). Septic meningitis was the commonest etiology of meningitis (66.6%), followed by viral (17%)  then tuberculous (15.6%) while cryptococcal  was the least (0.6%).   Although   the    etiologic organism was not isolated in 55.3%,  streptococcus pneumonia was the  commonest organism identified in 20%, followed by Neisseria meningitidis  (12.3%) &  Haemophilus influenzae (3.3%). 78.7% were completely recovered, 17.6% died & 3.6% had complications on discharge. The highest case fatality rate was in older age (31.7%). Patient outcome was significantly related to age (p < 0.001), smoking (p=0.05) , residence (p < 0.001), etiology of meningitis(p < 0.001) & occurrence of complication (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Septic followed by viral then tuberculous are common causes of community acquired meningitis in patients admitted to Abbassia Fever Hospital. Factors affecting patient outcome are age, residence, etiology 

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