(ANSA) - PONTEDERA (PISA), APRIL 23 - A simple blood test is enough to understand if a person affected by bacterial meningitis is at risk of complications or even death.
This is what the study "D-dimer as a biomarker for the early prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with severe invasive infections due to Streptococcus Pneumoniae and NeisseriaMeningitidis", published last April 15 in the prestigious scientific journal "Frontiers in Medicine", in which he participated, with a leading role was also played by the internal medicine structure of the "Lotti" hospital in Pontedera, directed by Doctor Roberto Andreini.
As Simone Meini, doctor of Internal Medicine of Pontedera and first name signatory of the publication explains, the article illustrates the role of the biomarker D-dimer as a predictor of mortality in patients with bacterial meningitis. "Lostudio - he says - was conducted on 270 patients, one of the largest cases published so far. The patients were observed by the group of the 'Cotugno' hospital in Naples, with whom we collaborated together with the infectious disease clinic of Udine, directed by Professor Carlo Tascini , and together with colleagues of the CNR of Pisa ". "What we have observed - says Meini - is that the measurement of the D-dimer on a blood sample, carried out in the first 24 hours, has allowed us to identify those patients suffering from meningococcal meningitis at the highest risk of mortality and complications,ascertaining in the value of 7000 nanograms per milliliter the level above which the risk increases greatly. Being able to identify early, through a simple blood test, available quickly and at low cost in all laboratories, patients, often very young, with a different risk of mortality and complications, represents an important step forward for their appropriate management ".
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