Early detection of cerebrospinal fluid/serum glucose ratio: A promising value for mortality prognosis in patients with acute bacterial meningitis.

Background/Aims: Given that acute bacterial meningitis (ABM), as community-acquired meningitis, is considered a life-threatening medical emergency, early diagnosis and immediate onset of antibiotic therapy are of great importance. Here, we aimed to compare both the laboratory and glucometer assessment of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/serum glucose ratio in patients with suspected ABM. In addition, the prognostic value of the CSF/serum glucose ratio on the mortality rate was also evaluated. Methods: In this cross-sectional, single-center study, all demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who attended the emergency department were evaluated. A total of 200 patients with clinical suspicion of ABM underwent lumbar puncture (LP) and were simultaneously recruited for CSF and serum glucose measurement using both laboratory tests and a point-of-care glucometer device. Data analysis was performed using SPSS Results: Out of 200 suspected subjects with a mean age of 52.66 ± 6.64 years (male = 113, 56.5%), 23 patients (11.5%) were identified with confirmed ABM. The study findings showed a close correlation between the laboratory and glucometer-measured CSF/serum glucose ratio. The sensitivity and specificity of the glucose ratio measured by the laboratory test were 91.3% and 86.4%, respectively. A similar result was also observed by glucometer measurement (Sensitivity: 91.3%, Specificity: 89.3%, Conclusion: Despite the similar accuracy of the CSF/serum glucose ratio using either a laboratory test or glucometer for ABM diagnosis, the present study highlighted that the laboratory turnaround time was significantly improved using a glucometer, which could be considered a reliable aid to the prognosis of mortality.