Purulent Meningitis in Children: A Retrospective Study of 70 Cases in Senegal

Abstract

Introduction: Despite much progress, purulent childhood meningitis (PCM) remains a public health problem. The objective of this work was to determine the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary profile of purulent meningitis in children. Methods: Based on retrospective work carried out over a 4-year period (01 January 2014 to 31 December 2017), we studied the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary aspects of cases of purulent meningitis hospitalized in the pediatric ward of the Children's Hospital of Diamniadio. Included were all children from 29 days to 15 years of age in whom the diagnosis of purulent meningitis was confirmed by the laboratory. Results: The hospital frequency was 1.9%. The mean age of the patients was 41.0 months. Among the affected children, 68.6% were fully vaccinated. The main germ was Neisseria meningitidis W135 (58.8%). Third generation cephalosporins were the antibiotics of choice (97.1%). No resistance was found to them. The cure rate with sequelae was 5.7%. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the germ responsible for 50% of the objective sequelae. The mortality rate was 7.1%. Conclusion: Neisseria meningitidis W135 is the main germ of purulent meningitis in our study. It is not included in the national routine immunization. It is imperative to adapt vaccination to the epidemiological fluctuation of pathogens in our regions.