Analysis of the Clinical-Epidemiological-Pediatric Profile of Meningitis Patients in Brazil from 2012 to 2022.

Abstract

Meningitis is an infectious disease that affects the meninges, which encase the Central Nervous System. Its prognosis can be reserved or even bleak. This condition primarily affects patients in the pediatric range, particularly infants, and is subject to mandatory reporting. This study is a retrospective cross-sectional type, in which epidemiological data were obtained from DATASUS. The analyzed variables included age group, etiological agent, geographic region, and disease lethality rate. During the analyzed period, out of 88,318 reported cases, approximately 4.6% resulted in death. The most affected age group was 1 to 4 years, with the Northern region showing the highest concentration of deaths. The primary etiological agent in this context was meningococcus (Neisseria meningitidis). Bacterial meningitis is the most prevalent and aggressive form of meningitis, which can lead to irreparable sequels or even death but is preventable through vaccination. On the other hand, the Northern region lacks the infrastructure to reduce the number of cases.