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. 2018 Mar;18(2):164-169.
doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-164.

Management of acute meningitis

Michael J Griffiths  1   2   3 , Fiona McGill  4   5   3 , Tom Solomon  4   6   3
Affiliations

Management of acute meningitis

Michael J Griffiths et al. Clin Med (Lond). 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Acute meningitis remains a devastating disease. Clinicians need a low threshold for suspecting meningitis, to undertake appropriate investigations and provide treatment in a timely manner, to minimise the risk of poor outcome in bacterial disease, while limiting unnecessary treatment in viral meningitis.

Keywords: bacterial; clinical; diagnostics; management; meningitis; viral.

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Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.
Investigations algorithm. CSF = cerebrospinal fluid; CRP = C-reactive protein; Diff = white cell differential; GCS = Glasgow Coma Scale; Glu = glucose (CSF:blood ratio); HSV = herpes simplex virus; LP = lumbar puncture; Mtb = Mycobacterium tuberculosis; PCR = polymerase chain reaction; Prot = CSF Protein; VZV = varicella zoster virus; rRNA = ribosomal ribonucleic acid
Fig 2.
Fig 2.
Three steps for antibiotic treatment in suspected pyogenic bacterial meningitis. IV = intravenous; MIC = minimal inhibitory concentration
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Importance of CSF lactate concentration in the diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis.
    McCarron EP, Sreenivasan S. McCarron EP, et al. Clin Med (Lond). 2018 Aug;18(4):351. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.18-4-351c. Clin Med (Lond). 2018. PMID: 30072569 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Response.
    Griffiths MJ, McGill F, Solomon T. Griffiths MJ, et al. Clin Med (Lond). 2018 Aug;18(4):352. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.18-4-352. Clin Med (Lond). 2018. PMID: 30072570 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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