Corticosteroids for Everyone with Meningitis?

Abstract

The question remains, however, whether adjunctive dexamethasone therapy can be of benefit in all patients with bacterial meningitis, regardless of their age or of the causative microorganism. In most reported studies of adjunctive dexamethasone therapy for bacterial meningitis, the majority of the patients had H. influenzae type b meningitis, a disease that has been virtually eliminated in countries where immunization with the H. influenzae type b conjugate vaccine is performed routinely.