Infant Meningitis Linked to Teen Behavior Problems
By Stephen Pincock
LONDON (Reuters Health) Apr 23 - Teenagers who survive meningitis as infants have more difficulties with behavior than their peers do, British doctors reported on Thursday.
In the first survey of its kind, researchers from Hammersmith Hospital in London found that parents of teens who recovered from a complicated bout of meningitis in their first year of life were twice as likely to rate their children as having behavioral problems.
"The message is that when children have had meningitis and apparently recovered well, that shouldn't be the end of the story," said Dr. Harvey Macovitch, editor of the Archives of Disease in Childhood, where the results are published.
These children should probably be followed in case interventions are needed, Dr. Macovitch said, which "could include mental health treatment or help at school."
In the study, Dr. David Harvey and others surveyed the parents and teachers of 739 teenagers who had contracted meningitis before their first birthday between 1985 and 1987, together with 480 healthy matched controls. Meningitis cases were classified as uncomplicated (391 subjects) or complicated (348 subjects).
The survey looked at emotional problems, behavior, hyperactivity, peer problems and social skills. It also contained questions about the impact of the child's behavior on the family or classroom.
Overall, 46% of parents whose children had complicated meningitis in infancy reported problems, compared with 21% of parents of children in the control group. "When the children were rated by their teachers, 37% and 23%, respectively, were scored as having behavioural problems," the authors write in the journal.
The study showed that even children who had had "uncomplicated" meningitis were at higher risk of behavioral problems, with parents and teachers reporting their behavior as "not normal" in 38% and 33% of cases, respectively.
This finding was significant, Dr. Macovitch said. "The importance of the study is that it shows the disease has a lot of subtle, permanent effects that we weren't previously aware of," he said.
Arch Dis Child 2003; 88:395-398.
Reprinted with Permission
Brain Disorders/Neurological Index
