Gender Differences in Community-acquired Meningitis in Adults: Clinical Presentations and Prognostic Factors

Community-acquired meningitis is a serious disease that is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender differences involved with the clinical presentations of and prognostic factors for this disease. 

We conducted a retrospective study of 619 adults diagnosed with community acquired meningitis in Houston, Texas, who were hospitalized between 2005 and 2010. Patients were categorized as male or female. Those who were evaluated to have a Glasgow Outcome Scale score of four or less were classified to have an adverse clinical outcome. Males consisted of 47.2% (292/619) of the total cohort, and more often presented with coexisting medical conditions, fever, abnormal microbiology results, and abnormalities on head computed tomography. Females more often presented with nuchal rigidity. Read more>>>>>>>>>>>

Gender Differences in Community-acquired Meningitis in Adults: Clinical Presentations and Prognostic Factors

Community-acquired meningitis can be caused by several treatable and untreatable infectious etiologies (e.g., bacterial, viral, and fungal infections), but most commonly the etiology is unknown. Studies show that risk factors for bacterialmeningitis include age, immunosuppression, genetic susceptibility, andanatomical defects. Mortality and morbidity for bacterial meningitis is high, with risk factors for a poor outcome including systemic compromise and a low level of consciousness. Outcome largely depends on rapid initiation of an effective empiric treatment, adjusting for age, systemic symptoms, and antimicrobial resistance .While there is some understanding of the effect of age and other risk factors on susceptibility to community-acquired meningitis, there are no studies exploring gender differences in community-acquired meningitis. The purpose of this study is to investigate gender differences in clinical presentation, laboratory and imaging results, etiologies and prognostic factors in male and female patients with community-acquired meningitis.

Case definition:This is a sub-study of another community-acquired meningitis study. Each adult patient (older than 17 years) enrolled in the study had community-acquired symptoms of meningitis (such as headache, stiff neck, fever, focal neurological deficits, or altered mental status) and a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white cell count of greater than 5 cells/mm3. These patients presented to an emergency department at a Houston-area hospital between 2005 and 2010. The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects and the Memorial Hermann Hospital Research Review Committee approved this study. For more.....