Viral meningitis may induce developmentalal delays in kids

A mild developmental delay may occur following an infection of viral meningitis in preschool children, according to a study, noting that targeted follow-up must be considered.

This study included children aged 18–42 months who had enterovirus (EV) or parechovirus (HPEV) meningitis from 2015 to 2021 in Canterbury, New Zealand.

A psychologist completed comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessments using the Bayley Scale for Infant Development-3 (BSID-3). The mean composite and scaled scores and proportion below the cutoff were evaluated in each domain. Finally, study authors analysed the clinical data of the participants.

Seventy-nine children were included in the analysis, of whom 33 (median age 32 months, 55 percent male) completed BSID assessments from 2019 to 2022, including 23 with EV and 10 with HPEV meningitis.

At diagnosis, 32 children (97 percent) were administered intravenous/intramuscular antibiotics, and six were given a fluid bolus.

Based on parental reports, six children had developmental speech concerns, and one had delayed motor milestones. No sensorineural hearing loss was reported. The mean composite scores in the BSID were within the expected range for cognition (102, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 98–106), language (96, 95 percent CI, 93–100), and motor domains (102, 95 percent CI, 98–106).

Of the 33 children, 12 (36 percent) had below expected scores in one developmental domain, including scores 1–2 SD below the normative mean for cognition (2/33, 6 percent), receptive language (6/33, 18 percent), expressive language (5/33, 15 percent, and gross motor (6/33, 18 percent).

Notably, no differences were observed between scores in EV and HPEV meningitis.