Condition

Meningitis

Clinical trials and treatment information for Meningitis

7.3M
People Affected
150
Active Trials
5M
New Cases/Year
214K
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Ceftriaxone
90% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 70% Safety• 5 trials• 100K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 2g IV every 12-24 hours for adults
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
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Chemo☢️
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70
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

immediate

Duration

7-14 days

Response Rate

90%

Remission Rate

85%

Common Side Effects:

Diarrhea: 8%
Rash: 2.5%
Eosinophilia: 6%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$750

Monitoring

$750

Side Effects

$500

Total Annual

$2,000

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

Cost per Remission

$2,353

Cost per Responder

$2,222

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
CSF White Blood Cell Count5000 cells/mm³
-99% (-4950 cells/mm³)
CSF Protein Level200 mg/dL
-85% (-170 mg/dL)
CSF Glucose Level30 mg/dL
+83.3% (+25 mg/dL)
Body Temperature102.5 °F (39.2 °C)
-3.6% (-3.7 °F (-2.1 °C))
Secondary Benefits
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) Score10/15
+40% (+4 points)
Duration of Hospital Stay14 days
-50% (-7 days)
Headache Severity (NPRS)Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) score: 8/10
-75% (-6 points)
Common Side Effects
Diarrhea
+8%
Rash
+2.5%
Eosinophilia
+6%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
2
Vancomycin
88% Effectiveness• 92% Confidence• 65% Safety• 4 trials• 50K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 15-20 mg/kg IV every 8-12 hours with TDM
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
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65
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

immediate

Duration

10-21 days

Response Rate

88%

Remission Rate

78%

Common Side Effects:

Red Man Syndrome: 7%
Nephrotoxicity: 10%
Ototoxicity: 0.5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$700

Monitoring

$1,500

Side Effects

$750

Total Annual

$2,950

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

Cost per Remission

$3,782

Cost per Responder

$3,352

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
CSF White Blood Cell Count1500 cells/µL
-80% (-1200 cells/µL)
C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Level180 mg/L
-85% (-153 mg/L)
Body Temperature39.5 °C
-6.3% (-2.5 °C)
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) Score12/15
+25% (+3 points)
Secondary Benefits
CSF Glucose Level20 mg/dL
+150% (+30 mg/dL)
Peripheral White Blood Cell Count18000 cells/µL
-67% (-12000 cells/µL)
Duration of Hospital Stay14 days
-28.6% (-4 days)
Common Side Effects
Red Man Syndrome
+7%
Nephrotoxicity
+10%
Ototoxicity
+0.5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
3
Dexamethasone
75% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 50% Safety• 11 trials• 20K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 0.15 mg/kg IV every 6 hours
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
50
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

immediate

Duration

2-4 days

Response Rate

75%

Remission Rate

70%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

15

Common Side Effects:

Hyperglycemia: 15%
GI upset/bleeding: 7%
Mood changes: 5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$75

Monitoring

$200

Side Effects

$100

Total Annual

$375

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.15

ICER

$15,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$536

Cost per Responder

$500

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Severe Hearing Loss Incidence (Bacterial Meningitis)15% (untreated bacterial meningitis, especially pneumococcal)
-50% (-7.5 percentage points (e.g., from 15% to 7.5%))
Overall Neurological Sequelae Incidence (Bacterial Meningitis)25% (untreated bacterial meningitis)
-40% (-10 percentage points (e.g., from 25% to 15%))
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Leukocyte Count3000 cells/mm³ (average in bacterial meningitis after initial antibiotics)
-40% (-1200 cells/mm³)
Mortality Rate (Pneumococcal Meningitis)20% (untreated pneumococcal meningitis)
-35% (-7 percentage points (e.g., from 20% to 13%))
Secondary Benefits
Duration of Fever6 days
-25% (-1.5 days)
Duration of Hospitalization12 days
-17% (-2 days)
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Protein Concentration200 mg/dL (average in bacterial meningitis)
-30% (-60 mg/dL)
Common Side Effects
Hyperglycemia
+15%
GI upset/bleeding
+7%
Mood changes
+5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
4
Acyclovir
90% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 75% Safety• 2 trials• 30K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 10 mg/kg IV every 8 hours
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
75
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

immediate

Duration

14-21 days

Response Rate

85%

Remission Rate

75%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

3

Common Side Effects:

Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea: 8%
Headache: 7%
Renal dysfunction (IV, high dose): 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$350

Monitoring

$750

Side Effects

$150

Total Annual

$1,250

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

8

Cost per Remission

$1,667

Cost per Responder

$1,471

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
CSF HSV/VZV DNA Viral Load5 x 10^4 copies/mL
-99% (-4.95 x 10^4 copies/mL)
Duration of FeverAverage 5 days
-40% (-2 days)
Duration of HeadacheAverage 7 days
-43% (-3 days)
Length of Hospital StayAverage 10 days
-30% (-3 days)
Secondary Benefits
CSF White Blood Cell Count300 cells/mm³
-50% (-150 cells/mm³)
CSF Protein Concentration0.8 g/L
-37.5% (-0.3 g/L)
Duration of Nuchal RigidityAverage 4 days
-50% (-2 days)
Common Side Effects
Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea
+8%
Headache
+7%
Renal dysfunction (IV, high dose)
+3%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
5
Amphotericin B (Lipid Formulations)
80% Effectiveness• 88% Confidence• 35% Safety• 100 trials• 10K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: 3-5 mg/kg IV daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
35
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

days to weeks

Duration

weeks to months

Response Rate

70%

Remission Rate

58%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

4

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

8

Common Side Effects:

Nephrotoxicity: 20%
Infusion-related reactions: 35%
Electrolyte abnormalities: 30%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$10,000

Monitoring

$4,000

Side Effects

$1,500

Total Annual

$15,500

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

6

Cost per Remission

$26,724

Cost per Responder

$22,143

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+80%
Response Rate
+70%
Remission Rate
+58%
Common Side Effects
Nephrotoxicity
+20%
Infusion-related reactions
+35%
Electrolyte abnormalities
+30%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4