The role of adjunctive
corticosteroids remains controversial in
meningitis by
penicillin-resistant pneumococci. We determined the effect of adjunctive
corticosteroids in adults with
pneumococcal meningitis in a region with a high rate of penicillin resistance. A multicenter, retrospective cohort study was conducted between 1998 and 2008 in Korea. The mortality and neurological sequelae were evaluated. Among 93 patients with
pneumococcal meningitis, adequate adjunctive
corticosteroids were given in 45.2%. The penicillin resistance rate was 60.0%, and 42.1% were nonsusceptible to
ceftriaxone. The 30-day mortality rates in the group receiving adequate
corticosteroid therapy, the group in which
corticosteroid was not given, and that inadequately given were 24.3, 31.6, and 27.3%, respectively, and there was no difference between the groups. The rates of development of neurological sequelae were 34.3, 33.3, and 43.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that adequate
corticosteroids did not reduce mortality (HR 0.773, 95% CI 0.293-2.040) and neurologic sequelae (HR 0.604, CI 0.262-1.393). Propensity-adjusted analysis showed that adjunctive
corticosteroid was not associated with time to death (HR 0.949, CI 0.374-2.408), however, a decreasing tendency was shown in neurologic sequelae in the adequate
corticosteroid group (HR 0.479, CI 0.207-1.110). In conclusion, adjunctive
corticosteroids did not affect mortality in adults with
pneumococcal meningitis in a region with high rates of resistance to
penicillin and
ceftriaxone; however, the patients receiving adequate
corticosteroid therapy tended to develop neurologic sequelae less frequently.