A Retrospective Study of Childhood Meningitis and Its Risk Factors in Diyala Province

Background: Viral agents are the primary cause of meningitis, a worldwide public health concern that primarily affects newborns and children. It is self-limiting and goes away in 7-10 days. With 85% of cases, enterovirus is the most prevalent etiologic agent. Summer is the peak season, and warm weather facilitates its spread. Most cases of meningitis occur in people under 30. Aim: This study intends to assess the risk factor of meningitis in different age groups in Diyala Hospital (the Governorate of Diyala - Iraq) and identify the relation of demographical characteristics with the risk factor. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional design study was conducted from 1st October 2023 until 1st of March 2024. A purposive (non-probability) sample of 118 patients (subjects) was recruited. The data collection has been achieved manually through self-administered paper copies of the questionnaire that were given to the participants by the research team. Data were analyzed through the application of descriptive and inferential statistical approaches using IBM-Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26.0. Results: Of the total of 118 cases involved in the present study, nearly 32% were aged 5-9 years. The major cases were male 56.8%; live in urban areas 58.5%; their mothers and fathers get primary education 41.5% and 39%, respectively. 39.8% of children receive artificial breastfeeding, 22.9% receive breastfeeding, while the remaining get both of them. A regular dose of a vaccine is gotten by 62.7% of children. The highest percentages had fever 84.7% more than any other symptoms, followed by headache 72%, vomiting 61.9%, and poor nutrition 58.5%. Statistically, there is a significant association of CSF results with frequent use of antibiotics before infection at p-value 0.054. Conclusions: The study found that over half of infections were caused by viruses, about one third by bacteria, and others due to various causes. More than one-third of infected children receive artificial breastfeeding. The highest percentages had fever, headache, vomiting, and poor nutrition.