[The importance of clinical symptoms in the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis in neonates].

In a group of 32 neonates with bacterial meningitis (BM) the authors investigated the frequency of clinical symptoms and compared it with the frequency in a control group of 27 neonates where BM was ruled out. The following were significantly more frequent in neonates with BM: elevated temperature (p < 0.01) and seizures (p < 0.05). In the control group impaired muscular tonus was significantly more frequent (p < 0.05). Temperature had the highest diagnostic sensitivity (93.7%), followed by seizures (62.5%); exanthema had the highest specificity (92.6%), followed by bulging (92%). Neither sensitivity nor specificity of any of the investigated clinical symptoms reached the required level of 96%.