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3.4.4 - Meningitis

from Section 3.4 - Neurological Impairment and Injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2023

By
Arun Krishnamurthy
Edited by
Ned Gilbert-Kawai ,
Debashish Dutta  and
Carl Waldmann
Ned Gilbert-Kawai
Affiliation:
The Royal Liverpool Hospital
Debashish Dutta
Affiliation:
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Harlow
Carl Waldmann
Affiliation:
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
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Summary

Key Learning Points

  1. 1. Bacterial meningitis is more often fatal than other forms of meningitis.

  2. 2. Viral meningitis is usually self-limiting.

  3. 3. Immunocompromised patients are susceptible to tuberculosis and fungal infections.

  4. 4. If you suspect bacterial meningitis, antibiotics should be administered immediately.

  5. 5. Use of corticosteroids in the management of meningitis is still debatable. Evidence shows that use does not reduce mortality; however, it does show a reduction in neurological complications, especially hearing loss.

Keywords

meningitisimmunocompromisedcorticosteroidsantibiotics
Type
Chapter
Information
Intensive Care Medicine
The Essential Guide
 , pp. 188 - 190
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

References and Further Reading

Brouwer, MC, McIntyre, P, Prasad, K, Van de Beek, D. Corticosteroids for acute bacterial meningitis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015;9:CD004405.Google Scholar
Van de Beek, D, de Gans, J, Spanjaard, L, Weisfelt, M, Reitsma, J, Vermeulen, M. Clinical features and prognostic factors in adults with bacterial meningitis. N Engl J Med 2004;351:1849–59.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van de Beek, D, de Gans, J, Tunkel, AR, Wijdicks, EF. Community-acquired bacterial meningitis in adults. N Engl J Med 2006;354:44–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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