Meningococcal infection is a deadly disease: causes of death in children

Abstract

Objective: to study the causes of fatal outcomes in patients with generalized forms of meningococcal infection (GFMI). Materials and methods: a retrospective analysis of case histories and pathological examination results of 10 children with GFMI who died in the intensive care unit of the infectious diseases hospital of the Krasnoyarsk City Children's Clinical Hospital No. 1 in Krasnoyarsk for the period 2012-2022 is presented. Results. The most important risk factor for the development of an unfavorable outcome of GFMI is age; 90% of the deaths were children in the first three years of life. The leading clinical form of MI was meningococcemia (80 ± 12.6%) with the development of septic shock (80 ± 12.6%), disseminated intravascular coagulation (60 ± 15.5%), acute adrenal insufficiency (90 ± 9.5%). Despite the timely request of parents for medical help, only 30 ± 14.5% (4/10) of patients were hospitalized in the hospital after the first visit, most of the children were hospitalized in the hospital after 3—4 calls with an erroneous diagnosis (50 ± 15.8%), underestimation of the severity of the condition and the degree of septic shock, without providing emergency medical care at the prehospital stage (60 ± 15.5%), which contributed to the development of a tragic outcome.

Keywords

• generalized forms of meningococcal infection
• children
• mortality
• errors
• treatment