Response of Vancomycin according to Steroid Dosage in Pediatric Patients with Culture-Proven Bacterial Meningitis

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of combined vancomycin and steroid therapy for the treatment of culture-proven bacterial meningitis in pediatric patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified a total of 86 pediatric patients with culture-positive cerebrospinal fluid who were treated at our facility between 2005 and 2015. Ten of these patients (5 boys and 5 girls) received first-line treatment with vancomycin as the initial form of therapy. All cultured bacteria were sensitive to vancomycin. We retrospectively analyzed these cases to examine the relationship between concomitant steroid dosage and antibiotic treatment effectiveness. RESULTS: Nine of the 10 patients included in our analysis received steroid treatment. Of these, 3 received high-dose steroid therapy and 6 received low-dose steroid therapy. Five patients did not respond to vancomycin, including all 3 patients in the high-dose steroid group and 2 patients in the low-dose steroid group. Our analysis confirmed that the response rate to vancomycin treatment was significantly reduced in accordance with steroid dosage (P = 0.035). Patients who did not to respond to vancomycin with concomitant high-dose steroid administration improved clinically after the substitution of vancomycin with teicoplanin. CONCLUSION: The use of steroids, especially in high doses, may impair the effectiveness of vancomycin for treating bacterial meningitis in pediatric patients. Physicians should be cautious when administering concomitant steroid therapy and should carefully monitor the steroid dosage.