Acute Bacterial Meningitis in Adults -- A Review of 493 Episodes

Few studies of bacterial meningitis have focused on the clinical and pathologic features of the illness in adults 1 – 5 . Most large series have included both children and adults, with children accounting for 45 to 87 percent of cases 6 – 16 . Results have rarely been reported according to age group in these studies. To characterize acute bacterial meningitis in adults, we reviewed our experience at Massachusetts General Hospital over a 27-year period, from 1962 through 1988. We focused on several questions of particular current interest: What are the differences between nosocomial and community-acquired meningitis, and has the relative frequency of . . .