TABLE 1.
Clinical characteristics of the 338 pediatric patients
| Characteristic | No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Patient demographics (n = 338) | |
| Gender | |
| Male | 199 (58.8) |
| Female | 139 (41.1) |
| Age | 3.0 yrs (IQR, 0.5–7.8) |
| Clinical diagnosis | |
| CNS infection | |
| Bacterial meningitis | 132 (38.2) |
| Viral encephalitis/meningoencephalitis | 110 (31.8) |
| Mycobacterial meningitis | 8 (2.3) |
| Mycoplasma encephalitis | 4 (1.2) |
| Fungal meningitis | 2 (0.6) |
| Uncertain CNS infectious disease | 1 (0.3) |
| Noninfectious encephalopathy | |
| Autoimmune encephalitis | 28 (34.6) |
| Infectious toxic encephalopathy | 11 (13.6) |
| Epilepsy | 9 (11.1) |
| Other disorders | 33 (40.7) |
| Concomitant disease | |
| Pulmonary infection | 92 (26.6) |
| Hyponatremia | 18 (5.2) |
| Myelitis | 16 (4.6) |
| Clinical symptoms | |
| Fever | 262 (77.5) |
| Vomiting | 128 (37.9) |
| Headaches | 80 (23.7) |
| Convulsion | 143 (42.3) |
| Spasm | 142 (42.0) |
| Focal neurological dysfunction | 199 (57.5) |
| Meningeal irritation | 156 (45.1) |
| Conscious disturbance | 85 (25.1) |
| Dystonia | 74 (21.9) |
| Abnormal MRI | 235 (67.9) |
| Abnormal EEG | 123 (36.4) |
| Abnormal parameters of CSF examinations | |
| Increased CSF leukocyte counts | 209 (61.8) |
| Elevated CSF protein level (>0.4 g/liter) | 173 (51.2) |
| Decreased CSF glucose level (<2.8 nmol/liter) | 112 (33.1) |