Invasive Meningococcal Disease in Children; Assessment of Clinical Features and Treatment Options in 7 Patients

Aim: Invasive meningococcal diseases are among the most important causes of mortality and morbidity in children and adults in all over the world. The spectrum of the disease may vary within a range of a disease restricting itself and a rapidly progressive septic shock. Our aim was to assess the clinical and laboratory characteristics of invasive meningococcal diseases. The features of seven invasive meningococcal disease cases are investigated. of the previously healthy patients aged between 2 and 68 months, during a 12 month period, four of the patients were diagnosed as meningitidis, two of them as meningococcemia and meningitidis and one of them as meningococcemia. The importance of the early antibiotic treatment and early, intensive, proper support is emphasized in our cases of invasive meningococcal disease which may cause a previously healthy child to die within hours.