Chapp-Jumbo Emmanuel N
Department of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt & University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Afr Health Sci. 2006 Mar;6(1):55-8. doi: 10.5555/afhs.2006.6.1.55.
Neurologic infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality especially worldwide but much more in the African continent. The frequency of the different types of neurologic infections and their mortality in this part of Nigeria is not known.
To review cases admitted into the main tertiary referral center in Rivers State of Nigeria with neurologic infections over a 10-year period and to determine the types of infections, their frequency and the mortality.
Case notes of all admissions into the medical wards of UPTH, Port Harcourt between April 1993 and March 2003 were reviewed. Cases admitted with neurologic infections were extracted and analyzed for the study.
Of the 1,395 patients admitted with neurologic disorders during the study period, 311 (22.3%) had neurological infections. The M:F ratio and mean age of patients with neurologic infections were 1.7:1 and 34.1 years respectively. The most common infections identified were meningitis 136(43.7%), tetanus 90(28.9%), Pott's disease with cord compression 30(9.6%), viral meningoencephalitis 27(8.7%) and tuberculous meningitis (TBM) 19(6.1%). The case fatality was high: meningitis 49.3%, tetanus 47.8%, Pott's disease 23.3%, meningoencephalitis 44.4% and TBM 68.4%.
Preventable neurologic infections are a very important cause of morbidity and mortality in this environment. Cases presenting with suspicious neurologic infections should be referred to centers where specialized care can be instituted.
神经感染是发病和死亡的重要原因，在全球范围内尤其是非洲大陆更为常见。尼日利亚这一地区不同类型神经感染的发生率及其死亡率尚不清楚。
回顾尼日利亚河流州主要三级转诊中心10年间收治的神经感染病例，确定感染类型、发生率及死亡率。
回顾1993年4月至2003年3月期间哈科特港UPTH内科病房所有入院病例记录。提取并分析神经感染入院病例用于本研究。
研究期间，1395例因神经疾病入院的患者中，311例（22.3%）患有神经感染。神经感染患者的男女比例为1.7:1，平均年龄为34.1岁。最常见的感染类型为脑膜炎136例（43.7%）、破伤风90例（28.9%）、伴有脊髓压迫的波特氏病30例（9.6%）、病毒性脑膜脑炎27例（8.7%）和结核性脑膜炎（TBM）19例（6.1%）。病死率较高：脑膜炎49.3%、破伤风47.8%、波特氏病23.3%、脑膜脑炎44.4%、结核性脑膜炎68.4%。
在这种环境下，可预防的神经感染是发病和死亡的非常重要的原因。出现可疑神经感染症状的病例应转诊至能够提供专科护理的中心。
