Table 2.
Comparison of characteristics of bacterial meningitis patients with normonatremia and with mild, moderate, and severe hyponatremia.
| Patient characteristic | Normonatremia | Mild hyponatremia | Moderate hyponatremia | Severe hyponatremia | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 0.17 (0.04,0.42) | 0.08 (0.05, 0.25) | 0.08 (0.52, 0.27) | 0.07 (0.05, 0.5) | 0.944 |
| Anorexia (n) | 30/59 (50.8%) | 36/77 (46.8%) | 18/26 (69.2%) | 9/13 (69.2%) | 0.142 |
| Vomiting (n) | 15/59 (25.4%) | 15/77 (19.5%) | 9/26 (34.6%) | 3/13 (23.1%) | 0.462 |
| Fever (n) | 56/59 (94.9%) | 76/77 (98.7%) | 26/26 (100%) | 12/13 (92.3%) | 0.225 |
| Convulsions (n) | 6/59 (10.2%) | 14/77 (18.2%) | 8/26 (30.8%) | 9/13 (69.2%) | 0.000 |
| Impaired consciousness (GCS < 14, n) | 24/59 (40.7%) | 40/77 (51.9%) | 22/26 (84.6%) | 12/13 (92.3%) | 0.000 |
| GCS minimum score | 15 (14, 15) | 14 (14, 15) | 14 (13, 14) | 11 (8.5, 13.5) | 0.000 |
| PCPC maximum score | 1 (1, 2) | 2 (1, 2) | 2 (2, 2) | 3 (2, 4) | 0.000 |
| Duration of symptoms prior to admission (days) | 3 (2, 4) | 2 (1, 3) | 2 (1, 4) | 2 (1, 3) | 0.004 |
| 3 (2, 4) | 2 (1, 3) | 0.000 | |||
| Duration of symptom after admission (days) | 1.5 (0.5–2.5) | 2 (1, 4) | 2.75 (1, 5) | 5 (3, 5.5) | 0.000 |
| 1.5 (0.5–2.5) | 2.5 (1, 5) | 0.000 | |||
| Hospital stay (days) | 20 (16, 23) | 21.5 (18, 36) | 21 (15.5, 41.5) | 26 (20, 51) | 0.044 |
| LABORATORY TESTS | |||||
| Potassium (mmol/L) | 4.85 ± 0.63 | 4.72 ± 0.59 | 4.44 ± 0.51 | 4.19 ± 0.55 | 0.001 |
| Creatinine (μmol/L) | 24.8 (20.6,28.9) | 23.9 (21.33,28.15) | 28 (22.95,32) | 27.25 (22.15,42.53) | 0.158 |
| Blood urea nitrogen (mmol/L) | 3.16 (2.32, 4.04) | 3.56 (2.85, 4.49) | 3.08 (2.66, 4.76) | 2.62 (2.08, 5.40) | 0.125 |
| Urea/creatine ratio | 0.12 (0.09, 0.17) | 0.14 (0.11, 0.18) | 0.13 (0.09, 0.17) | 0.11 (0.07, 0.15) | 0.088 |
| Uric acid (μmol/L) | 182 (134.25, 254) | 171 (133,217) | 211 (184.75, 224) | 128 (79, 189.75) | 0.163 |
| Glucose (mmol/L) | 5.44 (4.72, 6.33) | 5.8 (5.15, 6.91) | 6.5 (5.55, 8.25) | 7.45 (5.99, 11.83) | 0.020 |
| Elevated transaminases (n) | 8/59 (13.6%) | 11/77 (14.3%) | 5/26 (19.2%) | 5/13 (38.5%) | 0.169 |
| Indexes of CSF | |||||
| White cell count (/109l) | 164 (68, 660) | 550 (170, 1325) | 360 (63.75, 4910) | 540 (62.5, 3050) | 0.068 |
| Protein (g/L) | |||||
| >3 | 6 (10.2%) | 10 (13%) | 10 (41.7%) | 6 (46.2%) | 0.000 |
| <3 | 53 (89.8%) | 67 (87%) | 14 (58.3%) | 7 (53.8%) | |
| Median (SD) protein (<3) | 0.89 (0.54, 1.6) | 1.01 (0.6, 1.84) | 0.71 (0.55,0.88) | 0.92 (0.66,1.52) | 0.221 |
| CLINICAL COMPLICATIONS | |||||
| Shock (n) | 1/59 (1.7%) | 1/77 (1.3%) | 3/26 (11.5%) | 3/13 (23.1%) | 0.002 |
| MODS (n) | 1/59 (1.7%) | 0/77 (0.0%) | 0/26 (0.0%) | 2/13 (15.4%) | 0.016 |
| Respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation (n) | 1/59 (1.7%) | 2/77 (2.6%) | 0/26 (0%) | 3/13 (23.1%) | 0.013 |
| Hydrocephalus (n) | 4/58 (6.9%) | 3/76 (%) | 0/25 (0%) | 0/12 (0%) | 0.630 |
| Subdural fluid accumulation (n) | 7/58 (12.1%) | 10/76 (13.2%) | 1/25 (4%) | 2/12 (16.7%) | 0.580 |
| Subdural empyema (n) | 1/58 (1.7%) | 2/76 (2.6%) | 0/25 (0%) | 1/12 (8.3%) | 0.465 |
| Brain parenchymal abnormalities (n) | 5/58 (8.6%) | 9/76 (11.8%) | 2/25 (8%) | 1/12 (8.3%) | 0.912 |
| OUTCOMES | |||||
| PCPC score on discharge | 1 (1,1) | 1 (1,1) | 1 (1,1) | 1 (1,2) | 0.001 |
| Poor outcome (PCPC ≥ 2) | 1/59 (1.7%) | 2/77 (2.6%) | 0/26 (0%) | 3/13 (23.1%) | 0.013 |
#Serum potassium levels were measured in 168 patients, creatinine and urea nitrogen in 168 patients, glucose in 89 patients, uric acid in 119 patients, and CSF protein in 173 patients.