Clinical and Laboratory Profiles, Time to Presentation, and Antibacterial Therapy in Children with Aseptic Meningitis: A Comparison of Confirmed Enteroviral and Unidentified-Etiology Cases
Epidemiologia·
- DOI
- 10.3390/epidemiologia7040115
- PMID
- —
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- —
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Accurate pathogen identification could streamline therapeutic decision-making and minimize empiric antimicrobial exposure in pediatric neurological infections.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The investigation seeks to differentiate clinical characteristics, laboratory values, and treatment approaches between pediatric patients with laboratory-confirmed enteroviral meningitis and those with unexplained aseptic meningitis.
Study design
Researchers conducted a retrospective observational analysis at a single hospital, stratifying eighty-seven admitted children into confirmed viral and unknown-cause categories.
Population and setting
The cohort consisted of hospitalized minors presenting with aseptic meningitis or meningoencephalitis at one medical facility.
Main findings
The majority of admissions clustered within summer months, with most patients seeking care several days after initial symptom development. Individuals with verified enterovirus exhibited reduced systemic inflammatory indicators relative to the comparison group, while cerebrospinal fluid measurements showed no significant intergroup differences. Prescriptions for antibacterial agents were substantially more common among patients lacking an identified pathogen.
Public-health relevance
Accurate pathogen identification could streamline therapeutic decision-making and minimize empiric antimicrobial exposure in pediatric neurological infections.
Important limitations
The retrospective methodology and single-institution recruitment restrict broader applicability. Additionally, the unclassified cohort inherently lacks molecular verification, creating potential diagnostic ambiguity.
GIDS interpretation
This manuscript offers foundational context on seasonal epidemiological patterns and laboratory differentiation strategies for pediatric aseptic meningitis. It serves as reference material for understanding diagnostic workflows and treatment variations without implying active signal detection.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 9 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.