Decline in the number of patients with meningitis in German hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

In 2020, a wide range of hygiene measures was implemented to mitigate infections caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In consequence, pulmonary infections due to other respiratory pathogens also decreased. Here, we evaluated the number of bacterial and viral meningitis and encephalitis cases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods

In a multicentre retrospective analysis of data from January 2016 until December 2020, numbers of patients diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and other types of CNS infections (such as viral meningitis and encephalitis) at 26 German hospitals were studied. Furthermore, the number of common meningitis-preceding ear-nose-throat infections (sinusitis, mastoiditi

SUBMITTER: Volk S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8938731 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature