Clinical outcome of neonatal bacterial meningitis according to birth weight.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical outcome and the complications of bacterial meningitis according to birth weight of out born neonates admitted in intensive care unit during an 11 year-period.

METHOD: Eighty-seven newborns were studied. Thirty-four infants were low birth weight newborn and 53 presented birth weight >or= 2500 g. The clinical data were obtained through the analysis of patients files. Fishers exact test, the c2 and the Mann-Whitney test were applied.

RESULTS: Neurological symptoms were more common in infants weighed >or= 2500 g (p<0.05). Complications affected half of the cases in both groups. Complications affected half of the cases in both groups, with an overall mortality rate of 11.5%.

CONCLUSION: The rate of complications was high in both groups, regardless of the birth weight. No association was observed between the occurrence of death and birth weight. Infants with positive CSF culture had a poorer prognosis.