The addition of corticosteroids in addition to other treatment forms to provide relief to children with bacterial meningitis is not linked with a reduced risk of death or shorter stay at the hospital.

This finding was revealed in a study in an issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

As per the background information in the article, use of corticosteroids (synthetic steroids for reducing inflammation) in a combination with primary therapy for bacterial meningitis in men reduces mortality while the potential benefit of steroids remains unclear in children.

Tags: bacterial meningitis, corticosteroid, corticosteroids, steroids, synthetic steroids

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According to a large multicenter study by pediatric researchers, corticosteroids given to children who are hospitalized for bacterial meningitis do not provide a benefit in survival or in reduced hospital stays. This finding is in contrast to previous studies which involved hospitalized adults.

Doctor Samir Shah, leader of the study, pointed out that children are not just small adults to be readily prescribed with corticosteroids. He urged clinicians to consider whether the problems associated with corticosteroid use, such as gastrointestinal bleeding, outweigh any potential benefits.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane lining the brain. The bacterial form is relatively rare in children, with an incidence of about eight in 100,000 in the U.S. However, bacterial meningitis is potentially life-threatening, and requires hospitalization and treatment with antibiotics.

Tags: bacterial meningitis, corticosteroids, Dr. Shah, meningitis

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