Pneumococcal Meningitis in Adults: Evaluation of 24 Episodes

A retrospective study was performed to review the clinical features and the outcome of 24 episodes of pneumococcal meningitis in 23 adult patients in a 5-year period (January 1990-August 1994). Of the 23 patients, 19 were male and 4 female. The median age was 30 years (range 15-80 years). Of the 23 patients 17 had underlying conditions (73.9%). All episodes of pneumococcal meningitis were treated with penicillin G in combination with ceftriaxone. Of the total series 24 episodes, 3 ended fatally; thus overall, mortalitiy was 12.5%. Of the another 21 episodes, 13 ran an uncomplicated course. Only four of 20 survivors suffered from neurological sequelae (20%)