Faculty Collaboration Database

Trends in mortality in children hospitalized with meningococcal infections, 1957 to 1987. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1989 Jan;8(1):8-11

Date

01/01/1989

Pubmed ID

2922245

DOI

10.1097/00006454-198901000-00003

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0024492344 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   87 Citations

Abstract

We reviewed charts of 261 children seen at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin from 1957 to 1987 with culture-proven meningococcemia or meningococcal meningitis, and we analyzed trends in mortality and disease severity for that interval. Overall case fatality was 10%, ranging from 9% in the period 1957 to 1963, to 16% in the period 1980 to 1987 (P = 0.15). The percent of patients admitted with severe disease increased from 14% to 38% (P = 0.001). When stratified by disease severity, case-fatality rates did not change with time. We conclude that technologic advances of the past 30 years had no measurable impact on mortality from meningococcal infection in our hospital and that crude case-fatality rates can be misleading if disease severity is not considered.

Author List

Havens PL, Garland JS, Brook MM, Dewitz BA, Stremski ES, Troshynski TJ

Author

Todd J. Troshynski MD Associate Professor in the Anesthesiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Hospitalization
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Meningitis, Meningococcal
Wisconsin