Impact of Meningitis on Cognitive Skills and Development in Children

Abstract

The present systematic review aims to investigate the impact of meningitis on the cognitive skills and
development of children. In this systematic review, relevant studies were identified via searches through
medical information databases of MEDLINE, PubMed, ISI, EMBASE, Cochrane with the keywords of
Meningitis, Meningitis and Complications, Meningitis and Children, Meningitis and Intelligence Quotient
(IQ), Meningitis and Development, and their derivatives. In this study, amongst 198 articles reviewed,
11 articles met the inclusion criteria. All studies, except one case, reported a decrease in growth and IQ
in children who experienced meningitis. Based on the results of the present study, children who have
experienced meningitis at a younger age are more prone to disability, growth retardation, and lower IQ than
other children throughout the later years of their life.