In this study of children diagnosed as having meningitis, hearing loss developed in 59 (13.7%). Forty-six (78.0%) of these children with hearing loss had stable auditory thresholds over time, and 13 (22.0%) exhibited deterioration or fluctuation of acuity over time. Evidence of increased intracranial pressure by computed tomographic scan, male sex, low glucose levels in the patients' cerebrospinal fluid, S pneumoniae as the causative organism, and the presence of nuchal rigidity appear to be significant predictors for future hearing loss.

Patients who have the potential for secondary gain are generally younger and have a much higher prevalence of normal audiovestibular evaluations and a much higher prevalence of nonorganic sway patterns on CDP. A high degree of clinical suspicion should be maintained when evaluating the dizzy patient who has a pending lawsuit, worker's compensation claim, or disability claim.

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