CLINICAL-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ASEPTIC MENINGITIS IN CHILDREN OF KHMELNITSKYI REGION (PODILSKYI REGION, UKRAINE): FOURTEEN-YEAR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATION

Abstract

Aim of work – to analyze the etiological structure, epidemiological structure, social-demographic features and the nature of the development of complications of the central nervous system in aseptic meningitis in children in Khmelnitskyi region for the period 2004-2017.Materials and methods. It was conducted a prospective analysis of 208 cases of aseptic meningitis in children of whom 138 people were boys and 70 people were girls. The etiology of the disease was determined by studying cerebrospinal fluid using PCR method. Complications of the central nervous system were diagnosed on the basis of the clinical picture and CT or MRI scans. The analytical method was used to conduct the analysis of the received data.Results. The highest seasonal increase of the incidence was from August to October and it was 65.6% with its peak in September (24.0%). The clinical picture was characterized by a moderate trend in 71.2% of cases and in 28.8% by a severe course. In 100% of cases the disease began with a fever, headache (83.6%), vomiting (76.9%), abdominal pain with diarrhea (6.2%), epileptic seizures (0.9%). The average level of cytosis was 269.4±196.7 cells/mm3with a predominance of lymphocytes and the average protein level in cerebrospinal fluid was 73 ± 36 mg/dl. The etiological factor was established in 18 (8.6%) patients.Conclusions. Enterovirus remains to be the main pathogen which was determined in 72.2% of cases. The second place was taken by herpes viruses (22.2% of cases), the third place was given to the mumps virus (5.6% of cases) (in etiologically verified cases). In most cases the disease ended in complete recovery but in 47 (22.6%) patients the complications were observed. The prevalence of aseptic meningitis among children in Khmelnitskyi region was 6.2 per 100,000 children, and males outnumbered females by a 2:1 ratio.