Hearing loss after bacterial meningitis, a retrospective study

Abstract

Background

Hearing loss is a common sequela after bacterial meningitis, but risk factors for this are poorly studied, particularly in relation to concurrent acute otitis media (AOM).

Aims

The aim of this study was to investigate incidence and risk factors for hearing loss in patients treated for bacterial meningitis.

Methods

In this retrospective study, medical records for patients admitted to hospital with bacterial meningitis in Skåne county, Sweden, between 2000 and 2017 were retrieved. The association between risk factors and hearing loss was estimated using logistic regression.

Results

During the 18 years, 187 cases of meningitis were identified. Hearing loss was confirmed in 71 of the 119 patients who had done an audiometry. It was significantly more common in adults. There was also evidence of an association between hearing loss and AOM, and between hearing loss and pneumococcal infection.

Conclusion

Age, concurrent AOM and pneumococcal infection were risk factors for developing hearing loss. Despite being recommended in the national guidelines, more than a third of the patients had not done a hearing test after recovering from bacterial meningitis. The findings strengthen the demand for prompt ear examination and – if needed – tympanocentesis in meningitis patients.

Chinese Abstract

背景：听力损失是常见的细菌性脑膜炎后遗症, 但关于其风险因素, 特别是与并发急性中耳炎（AOM）有关的研究很少。

目的：本研究的目的是调查细菌性脑膜炎患者听力损失的发生率和危险因素。

方法：在这项回顾性研究中, 检索了 2000 年至 2017 年间瑞典斯科讷县的细菌性脑膜炎入院患者的病历。用逻辑回归分析评估风险因素和听力损失之间的关联。

结果：在 18 年间, 共发现 187 例脑膜炎病例。在接受了听力测试的119 名患者中, 有 71 名被证实有听力损失。它在成人中更为常见。还有证据表明听力损失与 AOM之间以及听力损失和肺炎球菌感染之间存在关联。

结论：年龄、并发 AOM 和肺炎球菌感染是发生听力损失的危险因素。尽管国家指南推崇, 但超过三分之一的患者从细菌性脑膜炎中恢复后没有进行听力测试。

意义：研究结果强调了对脑膜炎患者及时进行耳部检查甚至是鼓室穿刺术的要求。

Keywords:

• Acute otitis media
• AOM
• Streptococcus pneumoniae
• bacterial meningitis
• hearing loss
• risk factor

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.