Sequelae of Haemophilus influenzae meningitis

Abstract

Fourteen children who had had Haemophilus influenzae meningitis more than two years earlier have been compared with their siblings. WISC, Frostig and Bender psychological tests and neurological examination were performed so that subject/sibling differences could be analysed. On neurological examination, subjects overall performed worse than the controls, although no “hard” neurological signs were found. Prolonged fever during the meningitis was associated with poorer results in psychological tests. In the subjects, there was a significant increase in left lateral dominance which may have been due to brain damage by the meningitis. However, most subjects did not differ significantly from their siblings in the tests, suggesting that prompt and adequate treatment of bacterial meningitis can prevent sequelae.