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Observational Study
. 2022 Mar 29:41:256.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2022.41.256.30015. eCollection 2022.

The epidemiological profile of meningitis among adults in a South African district hospital

Kian Terwin  1 , Mari Ferreira  1 , Christiaan Minnie  1 , Kalliopy Marangellis  1 , Ruben Darby  1 , Jesse Berlyn  1 , Anél Kleingeld  1 , Shezree Tiel  1 , Matthew Olukayode Abiodun Benedict  2 , Cornel van Rooyen  3 , Anthonio Oladele Adefuye  4 , Joseph Bukulu Sempa  3
Affiliations
Observational Study

The epidemiological profile of meningitis among adults in a South African district hospital

Kian Terwin et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

Introduction: understanding the epidemiological profile of a disease in a particular region allows for proper planning of public health resources for prevention, early diagnosis and treatment. In this present study, we describe the epidemiological profile of viral, fungal, tuberculous and bacterial meningitis among adults at National District Hospital (NDH), Free State province, over three years period (January 2017 to December 2019).

Methods: a retrospective, observational study of all adult meningitis cases, managed at the National District Hospital (NDH) Bloemfontein, Free State Province, South Africa between January 2017 and December 2019.

Results: of the 236 case files reviewed, majority (93.2%; n=220) of the patients managed for meningitis were black, as well as males (55.5%; n = 131). Higher incidence was found between the ages 20 to 49 (81.7%). Of those who died, the majority (n = 14; 63.6%) were males, in the age group 40-49 (n = 7; 31.8%), had TB meningitis (n = 12; 54.5%), were HIV positive (n = 20; 90.9%), and had cell count <100 cells/mm3 (n = 10; 45.5%).

Conclusion: our study suggests that combining information on patient demography, co-morbidities, clinical presentation, and examination findings can substantially contribute to raising clinical suspicion, leading to swift identification, diagnosis, and treatment of patients.

Keywords: Free State; Meningitis; adult; national district hospital.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that there is no competing interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
occurrence of meningitis amongst age groups
Figure 2
Figure 2
seasonal variation in the occurrence of meningitis in national district hospital Bloemfontein between 2017 and 2019
Figure 3
Figure 3
gender variation in the occurrence of meningitis in national district hospital Bloemfontein between 2017 and 2019
Figure 4
Figure 4
occurrence of meningitis types across age groups
Figure 5
Figure 5
frequency of symptoms and signs in meningitis type
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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