Outcome in children with enteroviral meningitis during the first year of life

The neurologic, psychologic, language, and academic skills were evaluated and compared in children who had had enteroviral meningitis in infancy and their siblings. The study population consisted of 45 children in whom enteroviral meningitis developed between the ages of 4 days and 12 months. Three died of heart failure caused by viral myocarditis. Thirty-three survivors and 31 siblings were comprehensively evaluated with physical and neurologic examinations; hearing, vision, and achievement tests; and tests of cognitive, perceptual-motor, language, memory, and emotional-behavioral functions. The remaining nine survivors of meningitis and eight of their siblings were assessed by telephone interviews and analysis of school and medical records. None of the survivors had major adverse neurologic sequelae. In addition, they performed as well as their siblings on all tests administered. Our study did not demonstrate either overt or covert impairments of neurologic function or development in survivors of infantile enteroviral meningitis.