35. Juabeh, I. Aseptic Meningitis in Children: A Three-Year Study. Bull. Palest. Ch. Soc., 1995, 1:3, 277-286, 1995, 10 pp.

A retrospective study was conducted on 216 children diagnosed with aseptic meningitis to define the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of the cases admitted to Augusta Victoria Hospital between July 1990 and June 1993. The children's age ranged between 1 month and 14 years, and the male to female ratio was 1.7:1. About 70% of the cases had been seen in the late spring and summer. Partially treated acute bacterial meningitis was diagnosed in 28% of the cases with aseptic meningitis, and enteroviruses were isolated from the CSF in another 11% of the cases. The number of aseptic meningitis cases was found to be increasing: 39, 45, and 132 for the three years, respectively. The most common symptoms were fever and vomiting in all age groups. CSF analysis showed that there is no significant difference in WBC and different count, protein, and CSF to blood sugar ration, between cases with partially treated meningitis and other cases with aseptic meningitis. No deaths were reported.