[Notes on cases of meningitis admitted to the Ospedale Cotugno of Naples in the period 1987-91].

The notification of the cases of meningitis admitted to the Hospital Cotugno of Naples in the period 1987-91 were analyzed by a retrospective study: aim of the study was to outline the epidemiological trend of meningitis and to evaluate the quality of the data around the change of the reporting system, which took place in 1991. We examined 566 clinical charts, selecting only the cases whose agents were identified. Our data agree with the national and international literature, with the exception that the majority of cases were produced by S. pneumoniae. Moreover, the data about tuberculous meningitis still show that the highest incidence occur in youth, while other Authors noticed a trend toward older ages. Further studies are in progress to improve the knowledge of tuberculous meningitis in our Country.