Linear growth in children after acute meningitis: A controlled study

Abstract

In this study, we recorded and analyzed the growth data of 40 children with acute meningitis (age 5.8 ± 3.1 years) for a year or more after treatment, and compared them with their age and sex matched healthy siblings (n = 100). None of the patients had any meningitis complications that could affect linear growth. None of them were underweight and/or stunted for one year or more after treatment. The height standard deviation scores (HtSDS) of patients decreased significantly from -0.06 ± 0.95 at the onset of meningitis to -0.46 ± 1 after a year or more of follow-up and were significantly lower than those for their normal siblings (controls) (0.31 ± 0.5). Fifteen out of the 40 patients had decreased HtSDS > -0.5, while 3 had decreased HtSDS > -1 after > 1 year of follow-up. The body mass index (BMI) of patients significantly increased after 1 year or more of the acute attack, but did not differ from the BMI for the controls. One patient and none of the controls had BMISDS > 2 at presentation. Furthermore, 5/40 patients and 2/100 children from the control group had BMISDS > 2 after 1 year or more of follow-up. The HtSDS decreased and BMI increased significantly in both groups with septic (n = 10) and aseptic meningitis (n = 30) with no significant difference among the 2 groups. It was concluded that long term growth delay and overweight and/or obesity appear to be risk factors following an acute attack of both septic and aseptic meningitis.

Clinical Presentation, Laboratory Analysis and Linear Growth in 50 Neonates and Young Infants With Acute Meningitis: One Year Experience of a Single Center in Qatar

“…However, the fact that the young infants with meningitis in this study seemed to be completely “normal” with regards to length and weight may not be representative of infants with meningitis in other regions of the world. Long term growth delay and abnormal weight gain appear to be risk factors following an acute attack of both bacterial and aseptic meningitis in children especially during the fast phase of infantile growth 23. Potentially, the inflammatory process associated with meningitis may involve the hypothalamic-pituitary area.…”