Trends in Pediatric Meningitis in South Korea during 2009 to 2017: Analysis of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Database

Purpose Previous estimates of the cause- and age-specific frequency of pediatric meningitis in Korea were mainly derived from single- and multi-center studies. Herein, we used data on the number of cases of bacterial and viral meningitis from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database to examine time- and sex-related trends. Methods We extracted data on meningitis diagnoses registered in the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service from 2009 to 2017, using Korean Standard Classification of Disease and Cause of Death codes. Information on 202,254 children aged 0 to 18 years was extracted. Detailed demographic and disease information was available for 84,543 children who underwent hospitalization. Results Among all hospitalized patients, 2166, 36,155, and 46,192 children were diagnosed with bacterial, viral, or other types of meningitis, respectively. There were 30 cases of fungal meningitis and another 30 cases of meningitis attributable to other pathogens. The number of cases of bacterial and viral meningitis was highest among infants (1,087 [50.2%]) and patients in their early childhood (12,949 [35.9%]), respectively. Meningitis outbreaks were most likely to occur during the summer, and boys were more susceptible to meningitis than girls. The following pathogens most commonly caused infant meningitis: group B Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, and type B Haemophilus influenzae. Conclusion This study reports the number of pediatric meningitis cases, stratified by age, disease type, and month/year. The present findings contribute to a better understanding of pediatric meningitis in Korea and provide a foundation for future research to identify the risk factors for this disease.