Journal Article

Neurodevelopmental outcome in meningococcal disease: a case–control study

Sills, J A, Hart, C A, Cooke, R W I, Thomson, A P J, Marzouk, O, Fellick, J M

2001

Overview

AIMS To determine long term neurodevelopmental outcome following the spectrum of meningococcal infection. METHODS Between 1988 and 1990, 152 cases of meningococcal disease were recruited; 139 survived. Between 1998 and 1999, 115 survivors (83%) were evaluated, together with 115 sex and age matched controls. Standard measures of neurological function, coordination, cognition, behaviour, and hearing were used to assess neurodevelopmental status. RESULTS One case has spastic quadriplegia. Gross neurological examination was normal in all other cases and all controls. Five cases and no controls have significant hearing loss. Cases performed at a lower level than controls on measures of coordination, cognition, and behaviour. Four cases and no controls had major impairments. The adjusted odds ratios for moderate and minor impairments were 3.6 (95% CI 1.3 to 10.3) and 1.6 (95% CI 0.8 to 3.4) respectively. CONCLUSION The majority of survivors from this cohort do not have gross neurological deficits. However, when objective measures of motor function, cognitive ability, and behaviour were applied significant detriments were found in meningococcal survivors.

• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health,BMJ,BMJ Publishing Group Ltd,BMJ Publishing Group LTD,BMJ Group
• Subject: Adolescent / Adult / Age / Analysis / Ataxia - etiology / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder / Attrition (Research Studies) / Audiology / Bacterial diseases / Bacterial diseases of the nervous system. Bacterial myositis / Biological and medical sciences / Case-Control Studies / Child / Child Behavior Disorders - etiology / Child, Preschool / Children / Cognition Disorders - etiology / Cognitive ability / Community Child Health, Public Health, and Epidemiology / Consent / Deafness / Developed Nations / Development and progression / Developmental Disabilities - etiology / Diseases / Epidemics / Epilepsy - etiology / Female / Hearing Disorders - etiology / Hearing loss / Human bacterial diseases / Humans / Illnesses / Infant / Infant, Newborn / Infants / Infectious diseases / Intelligence Tests / Intensive care / Laboratories / Mainstreaming (Education) / Male / Medical sciences / Meningitis / Meningitis, Meningococcal - complications / Meningitis, Meningococcal - mortality / meningococcal / Meningococcal infections / Meningococcal Infections - complications / Mental Disorders / Meta Analysis / Mortality / Needs Assessment / neurodevelopmental outcome / Neurologic manifestations / Neurologic manifestations of general diseases / Outcome Measures / Patients / Pediatric diseases / Pediatric research / Performance Based Assessment / Physiological aspects / Prospective Studies / Psychometrics / Quantitative psychology / Questionnaires / Rating Scales / Raw Scores / Recruitment / Social Class / Special Needs Students / Statistics as Topic / Studies / Survivors / Teaching Methods / United Kingdom