Table 4.
Factors associated with mortality and neurological impairment due to community-acquired bacterial meningitis, including time to antibiotics using patients matched for age and sex by propensity scoring.
| Covariates | < / > 1 ha | < / > 2 h | < / > 3 h | < / > 4 h | < / > 5 h | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Univariate | Multivariable | Univariate | Multivariable | Univariate | Multivariable | Univariate | Multivariable | Univariate | Multivariable | |
| Mortality | n = 226 | n = 362 | n = 362 | n = 324 | n = 286 | |||||
| Time to antibiotics | 1.64 (0.81–3.23) | 1.02 (1.02–1.02) | 2.43 (1.43–4.12) | 2.29 (1.28–4.09) | 2.93 (1.67–5.12) | 2.78 (1.49–6.16) | 3.07 (1.81–5.20) | 3.77 (2.49–5.71) | 2.65 (1.54–4.54) | 3.11 (1.47–6.59) |
| Age (years) | 1.06 (1.03–1.08) | 1.05 (1.03–1.07) | 1.05 (1.03–1.07) | 1.05 (1.04–1.05) | 1.05 (1.03–1.07) | 1.05 (1.04–1.06) | 1.06 (1.03–1.08) | 1.06 (1.04–1.07) | 1.05 (1.03–1.08) | 1.05 (1.05–1.06) |
| Comorbidity | 1.30 (0.64–2.64) | 1.92 (1.15–3.19) | 1.73 (1.24–2.42) | 1.61 (0.99–2.60) | 1.37 (1.12–1.66) | 1.69 (1.01–2.75) | 1.46 (0.87–2.46) | |||
| Impaired consciousnessb | 3.83 (1.58–9.27) | 3.12 (1.85–5.28) | 3.76 (1.98–7.15) | 2.95 (2.34–3.73) | 2.45 (1.41–4.26) | 2.37 (1.89–2.96) | 2.34 (1.30–4.18) | 2.66 (2.21–3.21) | 2.15 (1.19–3.86) | 2.37 (1.94–2.90) |
| Steroid administration | 0.60 (0.03–1.27) | 0.65 (0.37–1.15) | 0.66 (0.55–0.80) | 0.60 (0.36–0.99) | 0.65 (0.52–0.81) | 0.60 (0.35–1.03) | 0.64 (0.51–0.79) | 0.50 (0.27–0.89) | 0.54 (0.40–0.73) | |
| Neurological impairment | n = 180 | n = 276 | n = 263 | n = 229 | n = 200 | |||||
| Time to antibiotics | 1.62 (0.84–3.14) | 1.76 (0.57–3.56) | 1.49 (0.87–2.54) | 1.45 (0.83–2.53) | 1.60 (0.94–2.72) | 1.79 (1.03–3.14) | 1.44 (0.83–2.51) | 1.62 (0.92–2.87) | 1.69 (0.94–3.06) | 1.87 (1.02–3.44) |
| Age (years) | 1.05 (1.02–1.07) | 1.05 (1.03–1.07) | 1.03 (1.01–1.05) | 1.03 (1.01–1.05) | 1.02 (1.00–1.03) | 1.01 (0.99–1.03) | 1.00 (0.99–1.03) | |||
| Comorbidity | 1.30 (0.64–2.64) | 1.71 (1.00–2.92) | 1.74 (1.02–2.99) | 1.76 (1.00–3.11) | 1.40 (0.75–2.49) | |||||
| Impaired consciousness | 3.83 (1.58–9.28) | 1.75 (0.98–3.11) | 2.25 (1.25–4.04) | 2.79 (1.51–5.18) | 1.99 (1.10–3.61) | 2.18 (1.19–4.00) | 1.92 (1.02–3.62) | 2.12 (1.11–4.08) | ||
| Steroid administration | 0.56 (0.27–1.14) | 0.46 (0.27–0.81) | 0.47 (0.26–0.83) | 0.51 (0.30–0.89) | 0.46 (0.26–0.52) | 0.61 (0.34–1.07) | 0.50 (0.27–0.92) | |||
aLess than or greater than hourly interval to the administration of effective antibacterial therapy.
bImpaired consciousness at presentation to hospital.