Until now there have been few studies of the long-term complications of meningitis, but new research on 1,717 five-year-old children in England and Wales, who survived an acute attack between 1985 and 1987, sheds new light. Researchers at the Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Institute of Child Health, London, carried out the study.
Of the 1,717 children who survived the initial attack, 32 later died. Almost a fifth of the rest had a severe or moderately severe disability. However, there was also an increased risk of mild disorders such as middle ear disease, squint, and language and behavioural problems. The risk was higher for those who had the infection as a newborn instead of after one month of age. Some meningitis strains caused more problems than others.
* You can read the study at http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/september/ppr533.pdf
