Identificación de marcadores clínicos y de laboratorio en recién nacidos pretérmino con diagnóstico de meningitis bacteriana neonatal

objective: to find the association between the of clinical manifestations and the values of laboratory in new born preterm infants with diagnosis of neonatal bacterial meningitis. material and methods: we studied new born preterm with sepsis and diagnosis of meningitis (cases) and to newborn with sepsis without meningitis (controls) the information was obtained from department of infectology from instituto nacional de perinatología (inper). we found clinical manifestations and values of laboratory, including: cytoquimical and cytological analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (csf), hematic biometry and chemical sanguineous. results: a total of 300 newborns were studied: 150 to controls and 150 cases. the clinical manifestations that showed statistical significance were: abdominal distension (or 2.5; ic 95% 1-7; p< 0.05); marmoreal skin (or 6.6, ic95% 1.6-30,p < 0.05), bleeding (or 8.1, ic 95% 2 -18; p < 0.05); and metabolic acidosis (or 8.1; ic 95% 5-18; p < 0.05). the numbers of total cells, polimorfonuclear cells and mononuclear cells in cerebrospinal fluid and percent of reticular forms in hematology results were significant. s. epidermidis was the microorganism found most frequently in the csf. conclusions: abdominal distention, bleeding and hypoglycemic had a significative association with meningitis. the analysis of cerebrospinal fluid is a necessary tool to neuroinfection diagnosis.