Frequency of Meningitis in Patients Presenting with Neonatal Sepsis at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of meningitis in neonatal sepsis patients at a tertiary care hospital.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration: Department of pediatrics, Civil Hospital Karachi from 11 – 2019 to 04 – 2020.

Methodology: A total of 120 Neonates within first 28 days of life with positive blood culture were included in this study. Patient’s data was collected on a predesigned proforma including demographics. Diagnosis of meningitis was done by performing lumber puncture. CSF analysis, blood, and CSF cultures were all tested in the lab.

Results: The average age of the patients was 10.75±7.24 days. There were 66(55%) males and 54(45%) females. Meningitis was found in 23.33% of patients with neonatal sepsis (28/120). Rate of meningitis was significantly high in late onset of sepsis as compared to early onset of sepsis (32.8% vs. 11.3%; p=0.006).

Conclusion: In this study the frequency of meningitis with neonatal sepsis was high. Meningitis has a strong link to neonatal sepsis, and it must be ruled out in those babies to avoid neurological problems.