CLINICAL FEATURES AND PROGNOSIS OF CHILDREN WITH ASEPTIC MENINGITIS OVER SIX YEARS AT TABRIZ CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

Background & Aims: Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes, called meninges, that cover the brain and spinal cord.Aseptic meningitis is one of the most common diseases of childhood and infancy.Unlike bacterial meningitis, it is non-purulent, culture-negative, and often occurs due to viral infections.This study aimed to investigate the clinical manifestations and prognosis of children with aseptic meningitis.Materials & Methods: This descriptive analytical study was performed on children aged 2 months to 18 years with aseptic meningitis who were hospitalized at Tabriz Children's Hospital over six years, from 2011 to 2016.A total of 138 patients were examined.Children with bacterial meningitis, encephalitis, systemic inflammatory, or metabolic disorders were excluded from the study.General information, including age, gender, clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and the final status of the child, was recorded in a questionnaire, and the data were analyzed.Results: We evaluated 138 children diagnosed with aseptic meningitis, of whom 100 (72.5%) were male and 38 (27.5%) were female.A positive vaccination history within the last month was reported in 65.2% of the patients.Fever was observed in 94.2%, vomiting in 49.3%, and headache in 15.2%.Seizures occurred in 64.5% of the patients.On examination, 3.6% of the patients were drowsy, and 5.8% had neck stiffness.Kernig's sign was negative in all patients, while Brodzinski's sign was positive in 2.2%.Cerebrospinal fluid smears and cultures were negative in all patients, and blood cultures were positive in 0.7%. Conclusion:Based on this study, fever and seizures are the most common symptoms in children with aseptic meningitis.Most of the patients had received MMR vaccination within the past month.All patients were eventually discharged without significant complications.The findings of this study can aid in the accurate diagnosis and treatment of aseptic meningitis.