Table 1.
The distribution of N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae cases according to patient characteristics
| Characteristics | N. meningitidis n=215 | S. pneumoniae n=154 | Hib n= 1 | Total n=370 | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | |||||
| Mean ± SD | 6.6 ± 7 | 2.4 ± 5.2 | 6 months | 9.7 ± 15.0 | |
| Range | 2 months- 36 years | 17 days – 40 years | 17 days – 40 years | ||
| Age group-n (%) | <.001* | ||||
| <1 year | 17 (7.9%) | 90 (58.4%) | 1 | 108 (29.2%) | |
| 1- 4 | 89 (41.4%) | 39 (25.3%) | 128 (34.6%) | ||
| 5-14 | 89 (41.4%) | 20 (13.0%) | 25 (6.8%) | ||
| 15-44 | 20 (9.3%) | 5 (3.2%) | 109 (29.5%) | ||
| Sex-n (%) | .665 | ||||
| Males | 136 (63.3%) | 94 (61%) | 1 | 231 (62.4%) | |
| Females | 79 (36.7%) | 60 (39%) | 139 (37.6%) | ||
| Health Directorates-n (%) | .604 | ||||
| Al-Rusafa | 93 (18.1%) | 56 (36.4%) | 149 (40.3%) | ||
| Karkh | 63 (29.3%) | 46 (29.9%) | 109 (29.5%) | ||
| Karbala | 39 (18.1%) | 40 (26.0%) | 1 | 80 (21.6%) | |
| Kirkuk | 19 (8.8%) | 10 (6.5%) | 29 (7.8%) | ||
| Maysan | 1 (0.5%) | 2 (1.3%) | 3 (0.8%) | ||
| Antibiotic prior to admission-n (%) a | .910 | ||||
| Yes | 81 (37.7%) | 61 (39.6%) | 142 (38.4%) | ||
| No | 105 (48.8%) | 77 (50%) | 182 (49.2%) | ||
| Unknown | 29 (13.5%) | 16 (10.4%) | 1 | 46 (12.4%) | |
| Reported signs and symptoms-n (%) | |||||
| Fever | 203 (94.4%) | 146 (94.3%) | 1 | 350 (94.6%) | 1.00 |
| Vomiting | 142 (66.0%) | 86 (55.8%) | 1 | 229 (61.9%) | .0510 |
| Seizures | 93 (43.3%) | 77 (50%) | 1 | 171 (46.2%) | .2058 |
| Irritability | 86 (40%) | 71 (46.1%) | 1 | 158 (42.7%) | .2857 |
| Headache | 102 (47.4%) | 39 (25.3%) | 141 (38.1%) | <.001* | |
| Neck rigidity | 98 (45.6%) | 49 (31.8%) | 147 (39.7%) | .0096* | |
| Altered consciousness | 46 (21.4%) | 41 (26.6%) | 87 (23.5%) | .2642 | |
| Bulging fontanelle | 25 (11.6%) | 30 (19.5%) | 55 (14.9%) | .0392* | |
| Kernig's sign | 39 (18.1%) | 11 (7.1%) | 50 (13.5%) | .0020* | |
| Purpura | 14 (6.5%) | 4 (2.6%) | 18 (14.9%) | .0929 |
aUnknown cases were excluded from analysis. * Denotes statistical significance level corresponding to a p value <.05. Statistical comparisons were made of N. meningitidis and S. pneumoniae cases only.