EVALUATION
OF THE EFFECTS OF DEXAMETHAZONE ON LOWERING THE INCIDENCE OF HEARING LOSS,
POST BACTERIAL MENINGITIS IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN
Soltanzaden M.H.
Department of Pediatric, Imam Hossain Medical
Center
Shaheed
Beheshti University, Tehran Iran
Acute
Bacterial Meningitis, a rather dangerous and lethal infection, has a high
prevalence in infants and children. The most important and dangerous
manifestation of this disease is the loss of hearing, which has been
reported to be between 5% to 20%. Lately, Dexamethazone has been added to
drug regimen in the treatment of Bacterial Meningitis to decrease the risk
of loss of hearing, post infection. In this study, we evaluated the effects
of Dexamethazane in infants and children with Bacterial Meningitis who were
admitted to the Departments of Pediatric Infectious disease in four
hospitals in Tehran Iran, during 1992 - 1994. This study was a Sequential
Randomized, Double Blind Control Trial done on 50 infants and children, The
Cases included 9 girls and 16 boys, ages 5.7 + 4.4 where as the controls
had 11 girls and 14 boys ages 5.9 + 3.9. The cases were treated with 300 mg
/Kg body weight /day and chloramphenicol 100 mg/Kg body weight and
Dexamethazone 0.6 mg/Kg body weight in 24 hours in 4 doses (qid) for 4 days.
The Controls were treated with the same drug regimen without the
Dexamethazone. Hearing tests were done at the initiation of the therapy, 3
months and 12 months post therapy at the Tehran Resalat Hospital. The
results were evaluated using the Chi-Sequential method. Results showed that
the loss of hearing in the Controls was 16% as compared to the loss of
hearing in the Cases which was 4% this difference of 12% is Statistically
significant. Based on the results of this study and similar studies done on
this subject, we believe that Dexamethazone should be used in the treatment
of Bacterial Meningitis in infants and children to reduce the risk of loss
of hearing.