Adjunctive dexamethasone in bacterial meningitis
Adjunctive dexamethasone in bacterial meningitis
Article Type: Reviews of effectiveness From: Clinical Governance: An International Journal, Volume 15, Issue 4
van de Beek, D., Farrar, J.J., de Gans, J., Mai, N.T., Molyneux, E.M., Peltola, H., Peto, T.E., Roine, I., Scarborough, M., Schultsz, C., Thwaites, G.E., Tuan, P.Q., and Zwinderman A.H.,Adjunctive dexamethasone in bacterial meningitis: a meta-analysis of individual patient data,Lancet Neurology,2010,Vol. 9,pp. 254-263
This well-conducted individual patient data meta-analysis found no evidence that treating bacterial meningitis with dexamethasone reduced mortality or neurological disability for any particular type of patient. The authors’conclusions are likely to be reliable, although some caution around the generalisability of findings to European healthcare systems may be warranted.
