CLINICAL PRESENTATION, LABORATORY ANALYSIS AND LINEAR GROWTH IN 50 NEONATES AND YOUNG INFANTS WITH ACUTE MENINGITIS: ONE YEAR EXPERIENCE OF A SINGLE CENTER IN QATAR

Background Meningitis frequently occurs in neonates and can lead to a number of acute, severe complications and long-term disabilities. Although, long term growth delay and abnormal weight gain appear to be risk factors following an acute attack of both bacterial and aseptic meningitis in children, especially during the fast phase of infantile growth, the long-term effects of acute meningitis occurring during the neonatal and early infantile periods on linear growth (length, weight and head growth) have not fully reported.