Evidence-based On-call

Meningitis

Prognosis

Neurological sequelae are common; some will be disabled by their illness ^a

Note:

Almost half of patients fail to make a complete recovery. (44%: 95% CI: 34% to 54%) ^c
One in four has focal neurological signs. (28%: 95% CI: 18% to 37%) ^c
One in nine has severe disability or is in a vegetative state. (11%: 95% CI: 4% to 17%) ^c
One in twenty-seven with meningococcal disease has permanent or disabling sequelae. (3.7%: 95% CI: 2.3% to 5.2%). ^a