Enterovirus Meningitis in Children from Constanta

Introduction: Many different viruses can cause meningitis. Most children are exposed to some of them during their life without developing meningitis. Of all the viruses, enteroviruses are the most frequent involved in etiology of meningitis. Material and Method: The evaluated group consisted of 73 patients, boys and girls aged 1 to 12 years, hospitalized at Constanta Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital during the period May 2016 - October 2017. Results: Over the studied period, 243 patients were admitted with suspicion of meningitis, but just 73 of them were confirmed (30.04%). The average age of children with Viral Meningitis was 5 years and 8 months old, with a gender distribution that revealed a 2:1 balance in boy’s favor. The most affected age groups were 1-3 years and 4-6 years with 27 cases each. Fever, headaches and vomiting were the most common symptoms, occurring in majority of the patienst (53/73). Cerebrospinal fluid was clear in 58 cases, meanwhile in 15 cases the fluid was opalescent. Polymerase chain reaction on cerebrospinal fluid revealed Enterovirus in 27 out of the 73 cases. Conclusions: Viral meningitis with enteroviruses should be considered in any paediatric patients admitted with fever, headaches and vomiting, boys and girls, due to the potential outbreaks that can appear during the summer or autumn.