Dexamethasone Beneficial for Bacterial Meningitis in Adults

The significant sequelae of bacterial meningitis are thought to be caused by inflammation related to bacterial lysis, and studies have shown a clear benefit of steroids with respect to hearing loss in children with Haemophilus influenza meningitis . These European investigators evaluated whether adjuvant dexamethasone benefits adults with bacterial meningitis.

In a randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter study, 301 patients with positive cerebrospinal fluid examinations (cloudy CSF, positive Gram's stain, or leukocyte count >1000/mm³) for bacterial meningitis received intravenous dexamethasone (10 mg) or placebo every 6 hours for 4 days beginning shortly before antibiotic administration. The primary outcome measure was the score on…