Vermunt, L.C.A.C.

Survivors of septic shock caused by Neisseria meningitidis in childhood: Psychosocial outcomes in young adulthood (Article)

2011-11-01T00:00:00Z

Objective: To investigate long-term psychosocial outcomes in young adults who survived septic shock caused by Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcal septic shock) during childhood. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: The psychological investigation took place in the department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital. Patients: All consecutive surviving patients with meningococcal septic shock requiring intensive care treatment at the pediatric intensive care unit between 1988 and 2001. Intervention: To explore biographical characteristics (such as living conditions, educational, occupational, and marital status) and illness-related physical or social consequences a structured interview was used. To assess intellectual functioning the Groninger Intelligence Test 2 was used and to assess behavioral/emotional problems, the Adult Self-Report was used. Measurements and Main Results: Fifty-eight of 83 eligible septic shock survivors were evaluated (response rate: 70%). The patients were 16-31 yrs old at time of follow-up (median age: 21 yrs old). These patients had had meningococcal septic shock before 18 yrs of age. Median follow-up interval was 13 yrs, with a range of 4 to 16 yrs. For the vast majority of meningococcal septic shock patients, outcomes on biographical characteristics, intellectual functioning, and levels of behavioral/emotional problems were comparable to those of reference groups. A minority (5% to 20%) still report illness-related physical or social consequences, behavioral and emotional problems, and lower intellectual functioning. Conclusions: Despite favorable outcomes for the majority of meningococcal septic shock patients in the long term, an important minority (5% to 20%) still struggles with ongoing problems as to behavioral/emotional problems, intellectual functioning, biographical characteristics, and illness-related physical or social consequences.

Surviving meningococcal septic shock in childhood: Long-term overall outcome and the effect on health-related quality of life (Article)

2010-06-29T00:00:00Z

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate associations between long-term physical and psychological outcome variables in patients who survived meningococcal septic shock (MSS) in childhood.Methods: The study population was made up of all MSS patients requiring intensive care treatment between 1988 and 2001.Results: A total of 120 patients visited the follow-up clinic (age at paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission 3.1 years; follow-up interval 9.8 years; age at follow-up 14.5 years (all medians)). Four major outcomes were considered: 1) major physical sequelae (defined as major scars and/or orthopaedic sequelae) (29/120), 2) mild neurological impairments (39/120), 3) problem behaviour (defined as a total score above the 90thpercentile of the reference groups on questionnaires to screen for psychopathology) (16/114) and 4) total intelligence quotient < 85 (18/115). No differences were found between patients with major physical sequelae and patients without major physical sequelae as to the presence of problem behaviour or total IQ < 85. Also, no differences were found between patients with mild neurological impairments and patients without as to the presence of problem behaviour or total IQ < 85. Finally, no differences were found between patients with major physical sequelae and patients without as to the presence of mild neurological sequelae. Less favourable scores on behavioural and emotional problems were significantly associated with poorer health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). HR-QoL scores were to a lesser amount predicted by severity of illness at time of PICU admission or by adverse physical outcome.Conclusions: Long-term adverse physical and psychological outcomes in survivors of MSS did not seem to be associated. Poorer HR-QoL was mainly predicted by problem behaviour.

Recovery in parents of children and adolescents who survived septic shock caused by Neisseria meningitidis: A cross-sectional study (Article)

2010-06-01T00:00:00Z

Objectives: To assess psychological distress, styles of coping and disease-related psychosocial limitations in parents of children and adolescents who survived meningococcal septic shock (MSS) 4-16 years ago. Research methodology: An exploratory design using standardised questionnaires and interviews. Setting: The psychological investigation took place in the department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the ErasmusMC-Sophia Children's Hospital. Main outcome measures: 87 mothers and 77 fathers participated in this study. The General Health Questionnaire was used to assess parents' psychological distress; the Utrecht Coping List to assess styles of coping. A semi-structured disease-specific interview served to explore long-term disease-related psychosocial limitations for parents. Results: MSS parents reported similar psychiatric symptoms and styles of coping in comparison to reference groups. Severity of illness and the child's age at time of illness were not significant predictors of parental psychological distress and styles of coping. The presence of somatic sequelae, cognitive or behavioural and emotional problems was not associated with the levels of parental psychiatric symptoms or styles of coping. The vast majority of parents reported no current disease-related psychosocial limitations due to the MSS. Conclusion: Parents of children who survived MSS show recovery. Nevertheless a minority still experiences emotional burden and disease-related limitations.

Long-term cognitive functioning in children and adolescents who survived septic shock caused by Neisseria meningitidis (Article)

2009-08-10T00:00:00Z

Aims. To assess long-term cognitive functioning and its predictors, in children and adolescents who survived meningococcal septic shock (MSS) 4 to 16 years ago. Methods. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - third edition was used to measure intellectual functioning and neuropsychological tests were used to measure attention, verbal memory, visual-motor integration, and executive skills. Results. Overall, results of the total MSS sample (N = 77) as to neuropsychological functioning were similar to those of normative reference groups. On social and practical reasoning and visual-motor integration, however,MSS children obtained poorer outcomes compared to normative data. Two children had mental retardation (estimated IQ < 70) due to the MSS. The percentage of children with mental retardation or borderline intellectual functioning (15%) was similar to that in the general population (16%). Eighteen children (23%) had a z score < - 22, indicating unusual poor functioning, on one or more domains of neuropsychological functioning (selective attention, sustained attention, and executive functioning). Compared to normative data, significantly more children had received special education services in the past. Older age at time of follow-up was the most important significant predictor of poorer long-term cognitive functioning. Conclusion. Overall, long-term outcomes as to cognitive functioning of the total MSS sample were similar to those of normative reference groups, but MSS children showed long-term impairments on social and practical reasoning, visual-motor integration, attention, and executive functioning. Older age at time of follow-up was a significant predictor.

Long-term health status in childhood survivors of meningococcal septic shock (Article)

2008-11-01T00:00:00Z

Objective: To assess long-term health status in patients who survived meningococcal septic shock in childhood. Design: Medical and psychological follow-up of a cross-sectional cohort. Setting: Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a tertiary care university hospital. Participants: All consecutive patients with septic shock and purpura who required intensive care between 1988 and 2001. Intervention: Patients and their parents were invited to our follow-up clinic 4 to 16 years after PICU discharge. Outcome Measures: Health status was assessed with a standard medical interview, physical examination, renal function test, and the Health Utilities Index Mark 2 (HUI2) and 3 (HUI3). Results: One hundred twenty patients (response rate 71%) participated in the follow-up (median age at PICU admission, 3.1 years; median follow-up interval, 9.8 years; median age at follow-up, 14.5 years). Thirty-five percent of patients had 1 or more of the following neurological impairments: severe mental retardation with epilepsy (3%), hearing loss (2%), chronic headache (28%), and focal neurological signs (6%), like paresis of 1 arm. One of the 16 patients with septic shock-associated acute renal failure at PICU admission showed signs of mild chronic renal failure (glomerular filtration rate, 62 mL/min/1.73m2; proteinuria; and hypertension). Scores were significantly lower on nearly all HUI2 and HUI3 attributes compared with Dutch population data, indicating poorer health in these patients. Conclusions: In patients who survived meningococcal septic shock in childhood, one-third showed long-term neurological impairments, ranging from mild to severe and irreversible. Patients reported poorer general health as measured by HUI2 and HUI3.

Overcoming the Odds: Long-term psychosocial outcomes in survivors of meningococcal septic shock in childhood, and in their parents (Doctoral Thesis)

2008-09-17T00:00:00Z

Septic shock, caused by Neisseria meningitidis with petechiae and/or purpura, also called Meningococcal Septic Shock (MSS), is the most serious form of meningococcal infection in early childhood. MSS is a life-threatening illness in mostly previously healthy children, with an unexpected and sudden onset, requiring immediate admission to a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). A previously healthy child may die within 24 hours. In literature both medical and psychological problems were reported shortly after the illness, but little is known about the long-term outcomes. Therefore the study described in this thesis was started to investigate the long-term psychosocial outcomes. Various indicators of psychosocial functioning of children, adolescents and young adults who survived MSS, and their parents, were measured. This follow-up was performed from 2005 till 2006 among 136 consecutive surviving patients, who were admitted to the PICU of ErasmusMC-Sophia Children’s Hospital between 1988 and 2001, at least four years ago (4-16 years). Overall, for MSS children, adolescents and young adults, favourable long-term outcomes on cognitive functioning, behavioural and emotional problems, including post-traumatic stress problems, and self-esteem were found. Unfavourable psychosocial outcomes were found on several neuropsychological domains and on self-esteem. Male gender was a risk factor for psychosocial functioning. Severity of illness and age at time of illness were not related to psychosocial functioning. Overall, MSS adolescents were more at risk for psychosocial problems than MSS children. MSS parents showed favourable, even better than ‘normal’ outcomes as to mental health. Nevertheless a minority of parents still experienced disease-related psychosocial limitations. Based on results of this study and of previous short-term studies it can be concluded that a short-term screening, with a special focus on behavioural and emotional problems in children and on PTSD symptoms in parents, is to be recommended for clinical practice.

Behavioural, emotional, and post-traumatic stress problems in children and adolescents, long term after septic shock caused by Neisseria meningitidis (Article)

2008-09-01T00:00:00Z

Objectives. To assess the occurrence of a wide range of behavioural, emotional, and post-traumatic stress problems in children and adolescents, long term after septic shock caused by Neisseria meningitidis (MSS). Design. This study included 6- to 17-year-old patients who survived MSS and were admitted to the PICU of the Medical Centre between 1988 and 2001. To assess behavioural, emotional, and post-traumatic stress problems, the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), the Teacher's Report Form (TRF), and the Youth Self-Report (YSR) were used. Methods. Parents of 89 MSS children, aged 6-17 years, completed the CBCL. Teachers of 65 same-aged MSS children completed the TRF, and 45 11- to 17-year-old MSS children completed the YSR. These data were compared with those from the normative reference groups. Results. Overall, the proportions of MSS children scoring in the deviant range for problem behaviour were comparable to the proportions in the reference groups, according to parents', teachers', and self-reports. As to the level of emotional and behavioural problems, mothers of the MSS children reported more somatic complaints regarding their children in comparison with the reference groups. Severity of illness was not a significant predictor of behavioural, emotional, and post-traumatic stress problems. Age at the time of illness was a significant predictor of behavioural, emotional, and post-traumatic stress problems in MSS children, indicating that the younger the child at the time of illness, the more problems were reported by parents at follow-up. Conclusion. Overall, the results showed long-term behavioural, emotional, and post-traumatic stress outcomes for MSS children, which were comparable to those in the general population.

Self-Esteem in Children and Adolescents After Septic Shock Caused by Neisseria meningitidis: Scars Do Matter (Article)

2008-04-01T00:00:00Z

Purpose: To investigate self-esteem and its relation to scars, amputations, and orthopedic sequelae in children and adolescents long term after meningococcal septic shock (MSS) caused by Neisseria meningitidis. Methods: The Dutch versions of the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPP-C; 8-11 years) and the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPP-A; 12-17 years) were used to assess self-esteem. The Patient and Scar Assessment Scale (PSAS) was used to evaluate scar severity. Results: MSS boys aged 8-11 years achieved higher, more favorable scores on self-esteem, whereas same-aged MSS girls reported comparable levels of self-esteem compared with the respectively same-aged reference boys and girls. MSS boys and girls aged 12-17 years obtained unfavorable scores on self-esteem compared with respectively same-aged reference boys and girls. Overall gender did not have an effect on self-esteem. Severity of illness, age at time of illness, and age at time of follow-up were not significant predictors of self-esteem. MSS adolescents with scars reported lower global self-worth than MSS adolescents without scars. The worse MSS children evaluated their scars, the worse their outcomes on social acceptance. The worse MSS adolescents evaluated their scars, the worse their outcomes on close friendship, but the better their outcomes on social acceptance and behavioral conduct. Conclusion: In this cross-sectional study, favorable outcomes for self-esteem were found in MSS children, whereas MSS adolescents reported lower self-esteem compared with reference adolescents. Adolescents with scars reported lower global self-worth than MSS adolescents without scars.

Outcome research in meningococcal septic shock (Article)

2008-01-17T00:00:00Z

Long-term health-related quality of life in survivors of meningococcal septic shock in childhood and their parents (Article)

2007-12-01T00:00:00Z

Objective: To assess long-term health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in patients who survived meningococcal septic shock in childhood, and their parents. Patients and methods: All consecutive patients with meningococcal septic shock requiring intensive care treatment between 1988 and 2001, and their parents. HR-QoL was assessed by the Child Health Questionnaire and the SF-36. Scores were compared with reference data of Dutch general population samples. Lower scores indicated poorer HR-QoL, higher scores more favourable HR-QoL. Results: One hundred and forty-five patients (response rate 82%) agreed to participate (age PICU admission 3.5 years; follow-up interval 10 years; age follow-up 14.6 years (all medians)). In patients, regardless of age and of patient- versus parent-report, significantly lower scores were found mainly on physical (physical functioning, general health perception) domains and/or physical summary score. In patients <18 years, according to parent-reports, significantly lower scores were also found on psychosocial HR-QoL domains, whereas in patients <12 years, according to patients themselves, significantly higher scores were found on psychosocial domains. As to parents themselves, we found significantly higher scores on the majority of HR-QoL scales (both physical and psychosocial). Conclusions: In patients who survived meningococcal septic shock in childhood significantly lower HR-QoL scores were found on the physical domains. This could indicate that the patient's disease episode and present health status had a negative impact on their present physical HR-QoL. Overall long-term HR-QoL in parents was significantly higher.