Table 2. Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Opening Pressure, Leukocyte Count, and Biochemical Analysis Results for 341 Patients with Confirmed Bacterial Meningitis.
| Dexamethasone group (n = 164) | Placebo group (n = 177) | P for unadjusted comparison of follow-up values | Adjusted comparison of follow-up values | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSF parameter | At baseline | At follow-upaa | At baseline | At follow-upb | Estimate of dexamethasone effect (95% CI) | P | |
| Opening pressure | |||||||
| No. of patients | 128 | 135 | 144 | 143 | |||
| Median cm (IQR) | 20 (14–34) | 13.5 (9–18) | 20 (15–28) | 14 (11–20) | .04 | −1.97 (−3.84 to −0.09) | .04 |
| Leukocyte count | |||||||
| No. of patients | 164 | 153 | 176 | 164 | |||
| Median leukocytes per mm3 (IQR) | 3785 (1065–8135) | 825 (260–2630) | 2808 (1138–7433) | 865 (400–1943) | .40 | 0.95 (0.70–1,28)b | .74 |
| Glucose level | |||||||
| No. of patients | 164 | 154 | 177 | 164 | |||
| Median mg/dL (IQR) | 20 (10–36) | 63 (45–80) | 23 (10–38) | 44 (27–55) | <.001 | 1.61 (1.41–1,84)b | <.001 |
| Ratio of CSF glucose to plasma glucose | |||||||
| No. of patients | 162 | 154 | 177 | 162 | |||
| Median % (IQR) | 15 (8–31) | 40 (32–48) | 17 (9–30) | 37 (24–49) | .02 | 4.36 (0.84–7.89) | .02 |
| Lactate level | |||||||
| No. of patients | 145 | 134 | 156 | 148 | |||
| Median mmol/L (IQR) | 11.60 (7.07–17.10) | 4.20 (3.33–6.28) | 10.80 (6.82–15.72) | 4.65 (3.23–6.13) | .73 | 0.99 (0.88–1.10)b | .79 |
| Protein level | |||||||
| No. of patients | 162 | 148 | 172 | 159 | |||
| Median mg/L (IQR) | 253 (155–419) | 108 (69–176) | 244 (159–421) | 108 (66–165) | .84 | 1.03 (0.88–1,20)b | .70 |
NOTE. CI, confidence interval; IQR, interquartile range.
a
The 318 follow-up samples were obtained on days 1–6 after randomization. Sampling day was day 1 for 19 (6%) of patients, day 2 for 218 (69%), day 3 for 69 (22%), day 4 for 5 (2%), day 5 for 3 (1%), and day 6 for 4 (1%).
b
Because data was log-transformed before analysis, this corresponds to an (antilog-transformed) multiplicative effect (eg, follow-up CSF glucose level for patients who received dexamethasone is estimated to be higher than that for patients who received placebo by a factor of 1.61).