Bacterial meningitis risk factors

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aysha Anwar, M.B.B.S[2]

Risk factors

Common risk factors of bacterial meningitis may include:
Age

• Extremes of age predispose to bacterial meningitis such as infants and old age
• Type of bacteria affecting affecting different age groups varies

Community setting

• People living in dorms
• Military personnel
• Large gatherings in college campuses

Certain medical conditions

• Recent respiratory or ear infection
• Otorrhea or rhinorrhea
• Lupus
• Infective endocarditis

Working with meningitis-causing pathogens

• Microbiologists
• Lab personnel

Travel

• Recent travel to endemic area such as sub-Saharan Africa
• Travel to Mecca during the annual Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage

Immunosuppression

• Prolonged steroid therapy
• Complement deficiency
• Diabetes mellitus
• Hypogammaglobulinemia, and
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection

Trauma

• Recent head trauma

Other risk factors

• Smoking
• Alcohalism
• Injection drug abuse
• Sepsis

References

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