Abstract
Objectives Recurrent bacterial meningitis (RBM) is a rare but life-threatening disease. This study aims to analyze the clinical features, potential causes, and therapeutic outcomes of RBM in children. Methods This article retrospectively reviews the clinical characteristics, etiologies, and treatments in children with RBM hospitalized in Hebei children's hospital from 2012 to 2020. Results A total of 10 children with RBM, five males and five females, were included in this study. The age of RBM in children spans from the neonatal stage to the childhood stage. The underlying illnesses were identified and classified as cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea (1 case), humoral immunodeficiency with Mondini dysplasia (1 case), common cavity deformity with cerebrospinal fluid ear leakage (1 case), Mondini malformations (2 cases), incomplete cochlear separation type I with a vestibular enlargement (2 cases), local inflammation of the sphenoid bone caused by cellulitis (1 case), congenital skull base defects (1 case), and congenital dermal sinus with intraspinal abscess (1 case). 6 patients chose targeted therapy for potential reasons. Conclusions Congenital abnormalities or acquired injuries lead to intracranial communication with the outside world, which can quickly become a portal for bacterial invasion of the central nervous system, resulting in repeated infections.
Highlights
Recurrent bacterial meningitis (RBM) is defined as any reappearance of clinical and laboratory signs and symptoms of bacterial meningitis after adequate and successful treatment of a preceding meningitis [1, 2]
From 2012 to 2020, we collected the data of 786 children with bacterial meningitis from the medical records of the Hebei children’s hospital
We enrolled 10 subjects identified with recurrent meningitis: five males and five females
Summary
Recurrent bacterial meningitis (RBM) is defined as any reappearance of clinical and laboratory signs and symptoms of bacterial meningitis after adequate and successful treatment of a preceding meningitis [1, 2]. The causes of RBM in children are complex and diverse. The treatment of RBM depends on the underlying cause and always involves antibiotics. The exact incidence of recurrent bacterial meningitis is not known. In 2019, a multicenter study of children with recurrent pneumococcal meningitis showed an incidence of 1.5% [4]. A recent study showed that RBM incidence in children in Beijing, China, was 2.3%, which is relatively uncommon [5]. This study analyzed the clinical manifestations, auxiliary examination, and therapeutic outcomes of 10 Chinese children with RBM admitted to Hebei Children’s Hospital from 2012 to 2020
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