Hyponatremia in Children With Bacterial Meningitis

Background: Hyponatremia has frequently been described as a common complication associated with bacterial meningitis, though its frequency and clinical course in children with bacterial meningitis are unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the frequency, clinical characteristics, and prognosis associated with pediatric hyponatremia due to bacterial meningitis.Methods: We performed a retrospective review of children with bacterial meningitis provided with standard care. One hundred seventy-five children were included. We documented all participants' symptoms and signs, laboratory and microbiological data, radiological findings, and complications that occurred during their hospital admission. Disease severity was determined using the maximum Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (PCPC) and minimum Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Residual deficits were assessed using PCPC at discharge.Results: Hyponatremia ( 6.1 mmol/L (OR 8.28, 95% CI 1.65–41.60) predicted severe hyponatremia.Conclusion: Hyponatremia occurred in 66.4% of the assessed pediatric bacterial meningitis patients. Moderate and severe hyponatremia affected the severity of pediatric bacterial meningitis. Only severe hyponatremia affected the short-term prognosis of patients with pediatric bacterial meningitis. We recommend that patients with pediatric bacterial meningitis who exhibit convulsions and increased blood glucose levels should be checked for severe hyponatremia. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment of hyponatremia.