Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2025 Apr 25;15(1):14417.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-91340-1.

Treatment outcome and determinant factors of bacterial meningitis at pediatric ward: a multicenter study from Northwest Ethiopia

Ebrahim Abdela Siraj  1 , Mekuanint Tebikew  2 , Hilina Abay  2 , Selamawit Yimer Kebede  3 , Chernet Tafere  2 , Bereket Bahiru  4 , Dessalegn Getnet Demsie  5 , Beselam Gizachew  6 , Gizachew Kassahun Bizuneh  7 , Gizachew Motbaynor  8 , Malede Berihun Yismaw  9 , Zegaye Agmassie  9 , Ashagrachew Tewabe Yayehrad  2 , Zenaw Debasu Addisu  9
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Treatment outcome and determinant factors of bacterial meningitis at pediatric ward: a multicenter study from Northwest Ethiopia

Ebrahim Abdela Siraj et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Meningitis is a serious health condition with varied treatment outcomes that can be affected due to a difference in demographic factors, clinical conditions, and treatment associated factors. The following study assess the factors to identify predicting factors for affecting the treatment outcomes. The study was done on 423 patients with meningitis retrospectively through chart review on selected hospitals from September 2022 to February 2023. The information obtained from the patient chart including demographic information, clinical state and comorbid conditions were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with treatment outcomes. The larger proportion of patients (79.2%) were with the age of ≥ 2 months, with males account 52.5% of all study participants. The most common symptoms experienced by the patients were fever (85.8%), irritability (63.1%), and neck rigidity (71.2%). More than half of the participants (57.9%) has a minimum of one comorbid health condition, with pneumonia being the most prevalent comorbid disease (20.6%). In terms of treatment considered, gentamycin (31.9%) and ampicillin (31.1%) were frequently indicated, whereas antibiotic regimen changes were required in 31.9% of meningitis patients. The majority of the patients (75.7%) showed good outcomes with improvement, nevertheless around 24.3% experienced poor outcomes, including death (2.1%) and extended length of stay in hospitals (5.9%). Predicting factors for poor outcomes like delayed access to treatment initiation (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR = 4.24, p = 0.001)), existence of comorbidities (AOR = 4.21, p < 0.001), and absence of dexamethasone use (AOR = 2.33, p = 0.002). Though many patients presented with good treatment outcomes, lately seeking treatment options, the presence of comorbid conditions significantly affects the prognosis. The study findings indicated that early diagnosis and efficient treatment strategies of comorbid conditions and proper use of combined therapies such as dexamethasone meaningfully improve the treatment outcomes.

Keywords: Comorbidities; Dexamethasone; Ethiopia; Meningitis; Pediatric; Treatment outcomes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Consent to participants: Not applicable. The study is conducted retrospectively from the chart review and the data obtained kept confidential, no individual details, images, or videos are being used and displayed in this study.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sample size determination.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Commonly prescribed medications.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Treatment outcomes with various categories.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Treatment outcome.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Teixeira, D.C. et al. Risk factors associated with the outcomes of pediatric bacterial meningitis: a systematic review. Jornal de pediatria. 96, 159–67 (2020). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adem, F., Tasew, A., Siraj, A. & Mohammed, M. Treatment outcomes and associated factors among children hospitalized with acute bacterial meningitis in Eastern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional study. Patient Relat. Outcome Meas.11, 241–248 (2020). - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bekele, F., Ahmed, A., Kedir, A. & Sheleme, T. Treatment outcome and associated factors of bacterial meningitis at pediatric wards of Southwestern Ethiopian hospital: A prospective observational study. J. Pharm. Heal Care Sci.7 (1), 1–7 (2021). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Elias, S., Kaso, A. & Gebeyehu, Y. Bacterial meningitis treatment outcome and associated factors among children admitted to the pediatric ward, Dilla university referral hospital, Dilla, Ethiopia. Eur. J. Biomed. Pharm. Sci.8 (5), 62–69 (2015).
    1. Acho Addo, H. & Hussen Legese Chelkeba, S. Childhood bacterial meningitis: Antimicrobial use pattern and treatment outcomes: A prospective observational study. Clin. Pract.15, 587–602 (2018).

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources