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Third of children with meningitis are left with long-term effects
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/aug/03/children-meningitis-long-term-effectsA third of children who survive meningitis will be left with devastating long-term conditions, research suggests.
One in three youngsters who are treated for the disease will suffer mental health problems, epilepsy or learning difficulties, the study found. One in five children will have anxiety or behavioural disorders, while young survivors are five times more likely to have speech and communication problems, according to research from University College London.
The disease also affected long and short-term memory, with some children left with a borderline low IQ, it said. Sufferers were five times more likely to have a significant hearing impairment: 2.4% of survivors had bilateral hearing loss that required a cochlear implant. The risk of amputation was also increased, the study said.
Sue Davie, chief executive of the Meningitis Trust, said: "The hidden yet devastating after-effects of meningitis can often be dismissed.