Table 1.
Baseline characteristics at admission of patients with community-acquired bacterial meningitis excluding patients treated with pre-hospital parenteral antibiotics
| Patient characteristic at admission (n = 173) | Total cohort |
|---|---|
| Age (years) | 58 (45–70) |
| Male | 84 (49) |
| Comorbiditya | 62/173 (36) |
| Diagnosis of meningitis suspected at referral to hospital | 35/173 (20) |
| Diagnosed with meningitis at admission to hospital | 120/173 (69) |
| Duration of symptoms (days) (n = 164) | 2 (2–5) |
| Headache | 96/119 (81) |
| Nausea/vomiting | 87/102 (85) |
| Petechiae/echimoses | 40/135 (30) |
| Neck stiffness | 113/160 (71) |
| Focal neurological deficitb | 29/130 (22) |
| New-onset seizures | 17/173 (10) |
| Meningitis triad (neck stiffness, fever, impaired mental status) | 78/173 (45) |
| Temperature (°C) (n = 169) | 38.9 (38.0–39.9) |
| Blood pressure, systolic (mmHg) (n = 157) | 138 (119–159) |
| Pulse rate (bpm) (n = 156) | 99 (87–116) |
| Glasgow Coma Score | |
| 12–15 | 82 (47) |
| 9–12 | 61 (35) |
| < 9 | 30 (17) |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L) (n = 170) | 211 (110–298) |
| Blood leukocytes (109/L) (n = 171) | 17 (11–24) |
| Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy | 31/173 (18) |
| CSF | |
| Leukocytes (106/L) (n = 164) | 1925 (204–6081) |
| Erythrocytes (106/L) (n = 164) | 145 (18–593) |
| CSF-glucose (mmol/L) (n = 163) | 0.9 (0.1–3.1) |
| CSF/blood glucose ratio (n = 163) | 0.1 (0.01–0.4) |
| CSF protein (g/L) (n = 166) | 3.7 (1.9–7.9) |
| Aetiology | |
| S. pneumoniae | 96/173 (55) |
| N. meningitidis | 36/173 (21) |
| Other | 41/173 (24) |
| Antibiotics for sepsis given before meningitis was diagnosed | 11/173 (6) |
| Time to antibiotic therapy for meningitis (h, n = 173) | 2.0 (1.0–5.5) |
| Dexamethasone treatmentc | 55/116 (47) |
| Cranial imaging before lumbar puncture | 60/173 (35) |
| Cranial imaging during hospitalisation | 134/173 (77) |
| Intensive care unit admission | 104/173 (60) |
| Unfavourable outcome (GOS 1–4) | 77/173 (45) |
| Mortality | 33/173 (19) |
Binary variables are listed as n/N (%) and continuous variables as medians (IQR). aAlcoholism, asplenia, cancer, cirrhosis, congenital or acquired immunodeficiency including HIV, diabetes mellitus, heart failure (ejection fraction <40 %) and renal impairment (serum creatinine >130 μmol/L). bParaesthesia, motor or cranial nerve paresis. cPatients included after implementation of adjunctive dexamethasone treatment in 2002