Corticosteroids and paediatric bacterial meningitis | nursing times
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Giving corticosteroids to children admitted with bacterial meningitis does not provide any benefit, despite being effective in adults, a large US study has found. Researchers analysed the
records of 2,780 children with bacterial meningitis admitted to 27 hospitals, of which 10% received corticosteroids. Mortality rates were 6% among children receiving corticosteroids versus
4% among those not receiving them. Additionally, the time to discharge did not differ significantly between the groups. ‘Adults may have different predisposing factors for meningitis or a
different inflammatory response, either of which may alter the course of disease compared to children,’ suggest the authors. Journal of the American Medical Association (2008) 299: 2048-2055