CLINICAL AND LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS OF MENINGITIS: A COMPARATIVE ASPECT BETWEEN BACTERIAL AND VIRAL MENINGITIS

Abstract

Meningitis is an infection characterized by the emergence of inflammatory processes in the meninges, as a result of various infectious and non-infectious agents. It affects approximately 1.2 million people worldwide and is responsible for about 135,000 deaths per year. The clinical and laboratory findings of meningitis become indispensable for the treatment and interruption of the chain of transmission, as well as the reduction of the high morbidity and mortality recorded as a consequence of this infection in the period under study, which is why this research addressed the theme Diagnosis Clinical and Laboratory Meningitis: a comparative aspect between bacterial and viral meningitis, whose objective was to analyze the efficiency of the diagnostic methods used at the General Hospital of Huambo, Angola. In order to carry out this investigation, data provided by the Department of Statistics of the General Hospital of Huambo were used, clinical processes were also the primary source of data collection, in addition to interviews applied to professionals in the medical, biomedical and nursing careers, respectively. Among the results obtained, 259 cases of meningitis were registered, predominantly in male patients, with the 0-5 years age group being the most affected. There was a predominance of bacterial meningitis over viral meningitis, and a greater number of deaths in relation to recovered patients.