Viral meningitis-associated hospitalizations in the United States, 1988-1999

Kawasaki disease may be a hyperimmune reaction of genetically susceptible children to variants of normal environmental flora

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology that occurs predominantly in children <5 years of age. For the etiopathogenesis of KD, there is no agreement even as to whether KD is an infectious disease or an immune-mediated disease. The epidemiologic characteristics of KD, including the strict predilection of age in all ethnic groups and the gradually increased incidence after the KD emergence, suggest that KD is affected by the immune maturation in early childhood that may be determined by genetic factors, and KD is also affected by the changed environmental circumstances such as improved public hygiene.

We postulated that the pathogenesis of KD is a hyperimmune reaction in genetically susceptible children to the variants of normal flora, which are induced by the environmental factors. Using this hypothesis, we might partly explain the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of KD. We expect that this hypothesis may help to determine the causative agents for KD in the near future.

[Distinction between bacterial and aseptic meningitis in children: refinement of a clinical decision rule]

OBJECTIVES

To refine and to re-validate the best current tool (the Nigrovic rule: ''outpatient management may be considered for children without seizure, blood neutrophil count>or=10,000/mm(3), positive cerebrospinal fluid -CSF- Gram-staining, CSF protein>or=80 mg/dl, or CSF neutrophil count>or=1,000/mm(3)'') proposed to distinguish between aseptic meningitis (AM) and bacterial meningitis (BM) in the emergency department.

METHODS

Children hospitalized for BM between 1995 and 2004, or AM between 2000 and 2004 were included, and randomly divided into derivation (111 children, 14 BM) and internal validation (57 children, 7 BM) sets. The Nigrovic rule was refined on the derivation set, introducing new variables (purpura, toxic appearance and high serum procalcitonin), changing variables thresholds (CSF protein) and withdrawing some variables (blood neutrophil count, CSF neutrophil count), according to previous results, with the aim to obtain 100% sensitivity user friendly tool. The refined rule was then applied on the internal validation set, stayed blinded during the derivation process.

RESULTS

The refined rule was: start antibiotics in case of seizure, purpura, toxic appearance, procalcitonin>or=0.5 ng/ml, positive CSF Gram-staining, or CSF protein>or=50 mg/dl. The refined rule had 100% sensitivity on the derivation and the internal validation sets (95% confidence interval 78-100, and 65-100, respectively) with 62 and 51% specificity, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The refined rule (called Meningitest) was a highly sensitive, specific and user friendly tool that could allow to safely avoid>50% a posteriori unuseful antibiotic treatments for patients with AM.

Neonatal enterovirus infections reported to the national enterovirus surveillance system in the United States, 1983-2003

BACKGROUND

Neonatal enterovirus (EV) infections lead to a wide range of clinical manifestations, from mild febrile illness to severe, sometimes fatal, sepsislike disease.

METHODS

To determine the relationship of EV serotypes with the risk of neonatal infection and its fatal outcome, we analyzed data reported to the National Enterovirus Surveillance System (NESS) during 1983-2003.

RESULTS

Of the 26,737 EV detections reported during this period, neonates accounted for 2544 (11.4% of those with known age). Serotypes most commonly isolated from neonates included echovirus (E) 11 (14.0% of EV with known serotype), coxsackievirus (CV) B2 (8.9%), CVB5 (7.5%), E6, E9 and CVB4 (6.8% each). CVB1-4, E11, and E25 were significantly more common, whereas CVA16, E4, E9, E21, E30, and human parechovirus 1 (formerly E22) were less common among neonates than among persons aged > or =1 month. Fatal outcome was noted for 3.3% of reports, with neonates at a higher risk of death than persons aged > or =1 month (11.5% versus 2.5%; odds ratio [OR] 5.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.3-7.8). Neonates infected with CVB4 were at a higher risk of death (OR 6.5; 95% CI = 2.4-17.7) than those infected with other EV.

CONCLUSION

EV are important neonatal pathogens associated with high risk of infection and death. Because of the limitations of the NESS (incomplete reporting, limited clinical data, bias towards more severe and younger cases), additional studies are needed to better evaluate the role of different EV in neonatal infections.

Du diagnostic moléculaire initial prospectif des méningites à entérovirus⋯ à la lutte contre l'antibiorésistance

Meningitis initially presents with intense manifestations that are not generally specific to a given etiology. The first major question for the physician is to decide whether to initiate a probabilistic treatment. Enteroviruses are a major cause of aseptic meningitis, which is benign in immunocompetent patients. Molecular diagnosis is now becoming the gold standard and its prospective use at the time of patient admission, on the sole basis of clinical suspicion of meningitis, has yielded more reliable data. Cytological and biochemical data from CSF analyses are of low predictive value to influence the initial decision to treat with antibiotics. In addition, cases of meningitis during winter are not uncommon. Adults are concerned in about 25% of cases. Thus, if molecular diagnostic tools are not rapidly available, patient management may be inconsistent, leading to unnecessary scans, laboratory investigations and treatment (including overconsumption of antibiotics). Current progress in the automation and practicability of viral genomic detection yields the result within a few hours after admission. Rapid molecular viral diagnosis of a benign disease that does not require treatment but which is initially worrying is of unquestionable advantage. It is of benefit to both the patient and the community because of its input on health economics, the needless consumption of drugs and, as a result, resistance to antibiotics. The diagnosis of meningitis can no longer remain a retrospective diagnosis after elimination of all the possible causes, since not prescribing unnecessary laboratory tests and not treating are true therapeutic decisions.

Cost-of-illness studies : a review of current methods

The number of cost-of-illness (COI) studies has expanded considerably over time. One outcome of this growth is that the reported COI estimates are inconsistent across studies, thereby raising concerns over the validity of the estimates and methods. Several factors have been identified in the literature as reasons for the observed variation in COI estimates. To date, the variation in the methods used to calculate costs has not been examined in great detail even though the variations in methods are a major driver of variation in COI estimates. The objective of this review was to document the variation in the methodologies employed in COI studies and to highlight the benefits and limitations of these methods. The review of COI studies was implemented following a four-step procedure: (i) a structured literature search of MEDLINE, JSTOR and EconLit; (ii) a review of abstracts using pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria; (iii) a full-text review using pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria; and (iv) classification of articles according to the methods used to calculate costs. This review identified four COI estimation methods (Sum_All Medical, Sum_Diagnosis Specific, Matched Control and Regression) that were used in categorising articles. Also, six components of direct medical costs and five components of indirect/non-medical costs were identified and used in categorising articles.365 full-length articles were reflected in the current review following the structured literature search. The top five cost components were emergency room/inpatient hospital costs, outpatient physician costs, drug costs, productivity losses and laboratory costs. The dominant method, Sum_Diagnosis Specific, was a total costing approach that restricted the summation of medical expenditures to those related to a diagnosis of the disease of interest. There was considerable variation in the methods used within disease subcategories. In several disease subcategories (e.g. asthma, dementia, diabetes mellitus), all four estimation methods were represented, and in other cases (e.g. HIV/AIDS, obesity, stroke, urinary incontinence, schizophrenia), three of the four estimation methods were represented. There was also evidence to suggest that the strengths and weaknesses of each method were considered when applying a method to a specific illness. Comparisons and assessments of COI estimates should consider the method used to estimate costs both as an important source of variation in the reported COI estimates and as a marker of the reliability of the COI estimate.

The changing epidemiology of pediatric aseptic meningitis in Daejeon, Korea from 1987 to 2003

BACKGROUND

Aseptic meningitis is a relatively frequent childhood disease and virologic data suggest that enteroviruses are the commonest etiologic agents. We evaluated the epidemiologic characteristics of aseptic meningitis in Daejeon, South Korea from 1987 to 2003.

METHODS

2201 medical records of children with aseptic meningitis admitted to The Catholic University of Korea, Daejeon St Mary's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

Outbreaks of aseptic meningitis were observed in 1990, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2002. The age distribution of cases was relatively uniform, with a higher incidence in those aged < 1 year and 4-7 years. The male-to-female ratio was 2:1. There was a higher incidence of disease in the summer (May to August, 74.1% of total). Comparison of the largest epidemics in 1997 and 2002 showed significant differences in the incidence in those < 1 year (11.8% vs. 4.4%, respectively; P = 0.001). Neurologic sequelae were observed in 0.7% of the patients.

CONCLUSION

Aseptic meningitis, rare before the 1980s in Korea, has since become a common clinical entity. Since 1990, outbreaks of aseptic meningitis have occurred every 1 to 3 years in Daejeon in keeping with Korea-wide epidemics. The frequency of disease affecting children less than one year of age may reflect herd immunity to the epidemic strain.