Prognosis and Duration of Disabling conditions

Long – Term Effects

• Usually there are no long-term complications or residual disability with viral meningitis.
• 85% of meningococcal meningitis sufferers make a full recovery within a few weeks (10-15% suffer from persistent neurological defects including hearing loss, speech disorders, loss of limbs, or parts of limbs, learning difficulties and paralysis).
• Pyogenic and tuberculous meningitis when recognized at an early stage in the disease and treated with appropriate antibiotic therapy usually results in complete recovery, with no long-term complications or disability.
• Untreated Tuberculous Meningitis is fatal in a few weeks but complete recovery is the rule with modern treatment if it is started before the appearance of focal neurological signs or stupor. When treatment is started at a later stage the recovery rate is 60% or less, and the survivors may be left with severe mental deficiency, epilepsy, deafness, blindness, or some other permanent neurological deficit. As with meningococcal disease, late diagnosis and consequent delay in treatment may result in permanent neurological damage, and long-term disability.
• Each case is unique, and would have to be assessed on its merits.