Table 4.

Prognostic factors for an unfavourable outcome (GOS score of 1–4) 30 days after discharge in adults with viral meningitis

Prognostic factor	Unfavourable outcome	Modified Poisson regression
	n/N (%)	Crude RR (95% CI)	Adjusteda RR (95% CI)
Age, years
18–30	71/417 (17)	Reference	Reference
31–50	95/446 (21)	1.25 (0.95–1.65)	1.30 (0.98–1.74)
≥51	50/192 (26)	1.53 (1.11–2.10)	1.26 (0.85–1.87)
Sex
Male	82/486 (17)	Reference	Reference
Female	134/569 (24)	1.40 (1.09–1.79)	1.34 (1.03–1.75)
Immunosuppression
No	193/973 (20)	Reference	Reference
Yes	23/82 (28)	1.41 (0.98–2.05)	1.19 (0.76–1.86)
Duration of symptoms, days
0–1	78/396 (20)	Reference	Reference
≥2	137/655 (21)	1.06 (0.83–1.36)	1.05 (0.80–1.37)
Triad of signs and symptomsb
No	144/690 (21)	Reference	Reference
Yes	50/259 (19)	0.93 (0.69–1.23)	0.88 (0.66–1.17)
CSF leucocyte count, cells/µl
0–100	87/381 (23)	Reference	Reference
101–500	98/502 (20)	0.85 (0.66–1.10)	0.81 (0.60–1.09)
≥501	31/172 (18)	0.79 (0.55–1.14)	0.85 (0.54–1.32)
CSF protein, g/l
0.0–0.5	77/392 (20)	Reference	Reference
0.6–1.0	94/424 (22)	1.13 (0.86–1.48)	1.08 (0.81–1.45)
≥1.1	44/213 (21)	1.05 (0.76–1.46)	0.90 (0.59–1.38)
Aetiology
Unidentified pathogen	49/281 (17)	Reference	Reference
EVs	82/416 (20)	1.13 (0.82–1.56)	1.34 (0.95–1.88)
HSV-2	38/166 (23)	1.31 (0.90–1.92)	1.55 (1.00–2.41)
VZV	40/162 (25)	1.42 (0.98–2.05)	1.51 (0.98–2.33)
Miscellaneous viruses	7/30 (23)	1.34 (0.67–2.69)	1.37 (0.61–3.05)
Dexamethasone for bacterial meningitis
No	138/675 (20)	Reference	Reference
Yes	77/376 (20)	1.00 (0.78–1.28)	1.16 (0.88–1.54)

Owing to missing values, 922 episodes were used in the adjusted analysis.

Adjusted for all prognostic factors listed in the table.

Triad of headache, neck stiffness and hyperacusis or photophobia.