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. Key words: Meningitis, pituitary dysfunction, body mass index, growth.
Highlights
Severe infectious diseases that occur during periods of rapid growth may affect growth and nutritional status of children in both developing and developed countries (Scrimshaw et al, 1968; Mata et al, 1972; Santosham et al, 1979)
These patients had at least one anterior pituitary hormone deficiency (GH and /or ACTH) (Tsiakalos et al, 2010). These data suggest that central nervous system (CNS) infections should be included in the differential diagnosis of hypothalamicpituitary deficiency and that patients with previous meningitis are at increased risk of hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction
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
Summary
Severe infectious diseases that occur during periods of rapid growth may affect growth and nutritional status of children in both developing and developed countries (Scrimshaw et al, 1968; Mata et al, 1972; Santosham et al, 1979). These data suggest that CNS infections should be included in the differential diagnosis of hypothalamicpituitary deficiency and that patients with previous meningitis are at increased risk of hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction. The onset of hypothalamic-pituitary hormone deficiency may be difficult to diagnose during acute meningitis and its deleterious effect on linear growth may take few months to be clinically detected (Tuazon and Migulues, 2001).
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