[Morphological characteristics of meningococcemia in children].

Observations were conducted over 8 children aged 5 months to 3 years and 2 months, in whom the disease developed acutely and was accompanied by collapse. Death occurred within the first 12--36 hours from the onset of the disease. Morphologically, there were revealed haemorrhagic rash, initial phenomena of serous-purulent meningitis, clear-cut disorders of the microcirculation (stasis, thrombosis) in the skin, lungs, myocardium, kidneys. The cause of early death of the children with meningoccaemia turned out to be the Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, the morphological manifestations of the latter being bilateral haemorrhages into the adrenals. In the kidneys capillarothrombosis may develop, which is in accord with the picture of the Sanarelli-Schwartzmann phenomenon, and may lead to the development of acute renal insufficiency with formation of cortical necroses of the kidneys.