Observational studyPloS one2022
Outcome of acute bacterial meningitis among children in Kandahar, Afghanistan: A prospective observational cohort study.
Observational study in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Treatment outcome and associated factors of pyogenic meningitis among children at Hawassa University comprehensive specialized hospital: a retrospective cross-sectional study.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Knowledge, attitudes, preventive practices, and associated factors of cutaneous leishmaniasis among adults of Kandahar city, Afghanistan.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Article
- A predictive model for central nervous system infections in children based on machine learning and clinical diagnostic features.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Enhanced detection of bacterial etiologies, antibiotic resistance profile, and treatment outcomes of meningitis patients in Ethiopia: a prospective cross-sectional study.BMC microbiology · 2025Article
- Trends in the global burden of childhood meningitis between 1990 and 2021 and projections to 2035: based on the global burden of diseases database 2021.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Treatment outcome and determinant factors of bacterial meningitis at pediatric ward: a multicenter study from Northwest Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Time to Death and Its Predictors among Children with Bacterial Meningitis in Southwest Ethiopia, 2022. A Retrospective follow-up study.Rwanda journal of medicine and health sciences · 2025Article
- Article
- Exploring risk factors, etiology, and clinical outcomes of acute bacterial meningitis in children under 7 years in Oman.Journal of education and health promotion · 2025Article
- Prevalence and risk factors of vitamin D deficiency among Afghan primary school children.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Prevalence and associated risk factors of stunting, wasting/thinness, and underweight among primary school children in Kandahar City, Afghanistan: a cross-sectional analytical study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Article
- Correction: Outcome of acute bacterial meningitis among children in Kandahar, Afghanistan: A prospective observational cohort study.PloS one · 2023Article
- Therapeutic advances in neuroinfectious diseases.Therapeutic advances in infectious diseaseReview
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAcute bacterial meningitis (ABM) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children but there are no published data on the treatment outcomes of ABM in Afghanistan.
methodsWe conducted a prospective observational cohort study over one year, February 2020 to January 2021 in a tertiary care hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan. AMB was diagnosed clinically and on lumbar puncture findings. Binary logistic regression assessed factors for death.
resultsA total of 393 ABM children of mean age 4.8 years were recruited. Most were males [231 (58.8%)], living in rural areas [267 (67.9%)] and in households of >10 inhabitants [294 (74.8%)]. Only 96 (24.4%) had received against both Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) or pneumococcal (PCV) vaccines. Children were treated with combination of ceftriaxone and ampicillin and 169/321 (52.6%) received dexamethasone. Of the 321 children with a known outcome, 69 (21.5%) died. Death was significantly associated with: not receiving dexamethasone [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 4.9 (95% CI 2.6-9.5, p <0.001)], coma on admission [AOR 4.6 (I 2.3-9.5, p <0.001)], no PCV [AOR 2.8 (1.2-6.6, p = 0.019)] or Hib vaccine [AOR 2.8 (1.2-6.6, p = 0.019)], and being male [AOR 2.7 (1.4-5.5, p = 0.005).
conclusionsABM causes significant morbidity and mortality in Afghan children that may be improved by greater use of PCV and Hib vaccines. Adjunct dexamethasone should be evaluated formally in our setting.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.