Table 1.
Management and treatment of adults with viral meningitis
| Management and treatment | All viral meningitis | Confirmed viral meningitis | EVs | HSV-2 | VSV | Miscellaneous viruses | Unidentified pathogen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 1066 | n = 783 | n = 419 | n = 171 | n = 162 | n = 31 | n = 283 | |
| CNS infection as the referral diagnosis | 435/917 (47) | 354/703 (50) | 220/401 (55) | 82/149 (55) | 42/126 (33) | 10/27 (37) | 81/214 (38) |
| Direct admission to a department of ID | 474/1065 (45) | 372/782 (48) | 221/419 (53) | 85/170 (50) | 63/162 (39) | 13/31 (42) | 102/283 (36) |
| Time until lumbar puncture, h | 3.0 (1.3–7.1) | 2.7 (1.2–6.3) | 2.2 (1.0–4.7) | 1.9 (1.0–4.7) | 6.2 (2.1–17.8) | 4.4 (2.0–15.9) | 4.3 (2.0–11.0) |
| CSF culture | 985/1066 (92) | 732/783 (93) | 400/419 (95) | 155/171 (91) | 148/162 (91) | 29/31 (94) | 253/283 (89) |
| CSF PCR for EVs/HSV/VZV | 1054/1066 (99) | 779/783 (99) | 419/419 (100) | 169/171 (99) | 162/162 (100) | 29/31 (94) | 275/283 (97) |
| ITS of antibodies for HSV/VZV | 240/1066 (23) | 167/783 (21) | 74/419 (18) | 41/171 (24) | 43/162 (27) | 9/31 (29) | 73/283 (26) |
| Blood culture | 781/1055 (74) | 591/775 (76) | 344/419 (82) | 135/170 (79) | 89/157 (57) | 23/29 (79) | 190/280 (68) |
| Brain imaging | 544/1066 (51) | 356/783 (45) | 168/419 (40) | 69/171 (40) | 100/162 (62) | 19/31 (61) | 188/283 (66) |
| Brain imaging prior to lumbar puncture | 408/1058 (39) | 270/780 (35) | 142/418 (34) | 48/171 (28) | 69/161 (43) | 11/30 (37) | 138/278 (50) |
| Acyclovir or valacyclovir | 743/1060 (70) | 552/782 (71) | 215/418 (51) | 163/171 (95) | 158/162 (98) | 16/31 (52) | 191/278 (69) |
| Antibiotics for bacterial meningitis | 504/1058 (48) | 365/776 (47) | 212/415 (51) | 96/171 (56) | 44/161 (27) | 13/29 (45) | 139/281 (49) |
| Dexamethasone for bacterial meningitis | 380/1062 (36) | 283/780 (36) | 168/418 (40) | 78/171 (46) | 27/162 (17) | 10/29 (34) | 97/282 (34) |
| Length of hospitalization, days | 3 (1–5) | 2 (1–4) | 2 (1–2) | 3 (2–6) | 5 (3–11) | 5 (3–8) | 4 (2–6) |
Quantitative data are presented as median (IQR) and categorical data are presented as n/N (%). ID = infectious diseases; ITS = intrathecal synthesis.