Abstract
Concerning major causative organisms of purulent meningitis, i.e., Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, a questionnaire was sent to medical institutions all over Japan with the aim of investigating the patient background factors, sequelae and causal relationship with the causative organisms. Responses from 84 institutions in various parts of Japan were summarized and the following conclusions were drawn.
1. The diagnostic names of 227 patients for whom the questionnaire could be recollected were as follows: Purulent meningitis 138 cases (patient under 15 years old; 134 cases); purulent meningitis and sepsis, 58 cases; sepsis, 28 cases; and others, 3 cases. The causative organisms for the patients with meningitis and meningitis +sepsis were as follows: Haemophilus influenzae, 132 patients; and Streptococcus pneumoniae, 44 patients.
2. With respect to age distribution among the patients with meningitis and those with meningitis+sepsis, the number of the patients of the age younger than 1year old was more than twice larger than that of one-year-old patients. The percentage of the cases in which sequelae remained was 35.9% among the cases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and 13.4% among the cases caused by Haemophilus influenzae. A significant difference was observed between the bacterial strains (p=0.0025).
3. The major initial symptoms observed were high fever, vomiting, consciousness disorder, drowsiness and poor sucking. The percentage of the patients with remaining sequelae was significantly high among the patients who exhibited convulsion in the early stage after the onset.
4. As to the relationship with administration of dexamethasone, sequelae remained in 40.0% (10/25) of the patients who did not receive dexamethasone, and 17.3% (23/133) of the patients who received the drug. The percentage of the patients with remaining sequelae was significantly low among the patients who received dexamethasone (p=0.0043).
