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Query: UMLS:C0085437 (bacterial meningitis)
 4,038 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This study was conducted to demonstrate that experienced pediatricians using standard clinical indications for performing a lumbar puncture should have a higher yield of positive spinal taps than previously reported and also can detect bacterial meningitis. These indicators included temperature elevation, inability to be consoled, level of alertness, nuchal rigidity, bulging fontanel, decreased appetite, rash, referral, and febrile seizures. Eighty-two of 381 (22%) lumbar punctures were positive for pleocytosis and/or organisms. Patients were divided into two groups, consisting of those with one indicator (low risk) and those with greater than one indicator (high risk). Thirteen of 14 patients with bacterial meningitis were placed in the high risk group. The single patient in the low risk group had been pretreated with antibiotics. The positive predictive value in bacterial meningitis for a score greater than one was 5%. The average number of clinical indicators in bacterial meningitis was 3.7, versus 2.4 in viral meningitis and 1.6 without meningitis. These findings suggest that, in the absence of prior antibiotic therapy, an experienced pediatrician can clinically detect patients at high risk for bacterial meningitis. Nonbacterial meningitis cannot be as readily detected clinically.
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PMID:Clinical indicators for lumbar puncture. 336 36

Bacterial infections are frequent events in premature and newborn infants. The reason is a defective specific and nonspecific defence of bacterial organisms. Some immunoglobulins like IgM and IgA including secretory IgA are absent. Premature infants also show a decreased level of IgG. Cellular immunity is anatomically intact but functionally defective. A number of complement factors are lacking, the activation of the alternative pathway is impaired. Newborn infants with perinatal problems like asphyxia or difficult delivery, show defects of leucocyte function like decreased deformability, defective chemotaxis and defective killing of ingested bacteria. Certain diseases, like hypoxia and malformations of immature organ functions in this age group (decreased acid production in the stomach), facilitate bacterial colonization of surface epithelia and the invasion of tissues. Consequences of these pathogenetic mechanisms are an unimpaired propagation of bacterial organisms into the blood and meninges without localization of the infecting organisms at the entry site. Bacterial meningitis is not considered a separate disease entity but a complication of bacteremia and sepsis. Clinical symptoms are nonspecific at the onset of the infection. Fever is frequently absent; decreased appetite, vomiting, a bloated abdomen, diarrhea, tachycardia, tachypnea are early signs of a bacterial infection, a grey mottled appearance, cyanosis, jaundice, petechiae, apneic spells, seizure activity and a metabolic acidosis are symptoms of advanced infection. Successful treatment at this stage is often not possible. Every sign of a decreased well being of a newborn of premature infant warrants laboratory and bacteriologic work up for septicemia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Chemotherapy of severe bacterial infections in pediatrics]. 631 69