Hypoglycorrhachia in pediatric patients.

Hypoglycorrhachia (abnormally low cerebro spinal fluid glucose content) eludes exact numerical definition, largely because of the dynamic equilibrium between blood and CSF glucose. A group of 181 pediatric patients with a CSF glucose less than 50 mg/100 ml or a CSF/blood glucose ratio less than 0.50 were studied. Hypoglycorrhachia was present in patients with bacterial meningitis, aseptic meningitis, meningeal carcinomatosis, subarachnoid hemmorrhage, and hypoglycemia. Markedly diminished CSF glucose values were seen primarily in patients with bacterial meningitis. Higher CSF/blood glucose ratios predominated in those with hypoglycemia and neonates with low-normal blood sugars. Following bacterial meningitis and hypoglycemia, aseptic meningitis (including five children with documented enterovirus meningitis and one with documented mumps meningitis) was the third most common cause of hypoglycorrhachia in children. When readily available, positive CSF viral cultures may allow early cessation of antibiotic therapy in two types of patients with meningitis and hypoglycorrhachia: (1) those receiving previous recent antibiotic therapy, and (2) those with CSF findings more typical of a bacterial meningitis.