Do corticosteroids improve outcome in meningitis?

Link to article at PubMed

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Do corticosteroids improve outcome in meningitis?

Drug Ther Bull. 2010 Oct;48(10):116-20

Authors:

Despite significant advances in prevention of meningitis through vaccination, and in improved antimicrobial treatment, the disease still kills around 340,000 people worldwide each year.¹ Around 75% of these deaths occur in Africa and South East Asia and around 3% in Europe.¹ The mortality rate for bacterial meningitis is 10-30% and sequelae, such as cranial nerve impairment, particularly leading to hearing loss, occur in 5-40% of patients.² Whether adjunctive corticosteroid treatment improves the outcome in bacterial meningitis through an anti-inflammatory effect has been a long-standing controversy. Here we review the role of adjunctive corticosteroids in the management of children (aged over 1 month) and adults with bacterial or tuberculous meningitis.

PMID: 20926448 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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