Hearing impairment after bacterial and aseptic meningitis in children

Hearing impairment is the most common complication of meningitis. This prospective study was designed to determine the prevalence of hearing impairment after aseptic and bacterial meningitis in children. All patients 5-15 years of age with bacterial or aseptic meningitis admitted in Shiraz University Hospitals were included in a 40-month period study. Pure tone audiometry was arranged at the time of discharge. In total, 115 patients were studied. Sensorineural hearing impairment was detected in 35/83 of aseptic meningitis patients (42.2%) and 14/32 of bacterial meningitis patients (46.8%). There were 13 patients with bilateral hearing loss in aseptic meningitis group and eight patients in bacterial meningitis group (P = 0.389). There were seven patients with moderate to severe hearing loss in bacterial meningitis group and four patients in aseptic meningitis group (P = 0.014). This study demonstrated high prevalence of sensorineural hearing impairment following both bacterial and aseptic meningitis. Bilateral hearing impairment was common in both groups. Hearing impairment was more severe among bacterial meningitis patients.