The Meningitis NorthWest study started in 2011 with funding from the Meningitis Research Foundation. The aim of the study was to document the epidemiology and outcomes in adult cases of meningitis in the UK. Whilst we have known for a while that viruses cause most of the cases of meningitis in the UK we knew very little about how much there was and how much each virus contributed to the overall burden of disease.

The study was a great success with 672 patients recruited from over 30 different hospitals in the North of England (the majority in the North West ). The results have confirmed that viral meningitis is the predominant cause of meningitis in adults in the UK and that the enteroviruses account for the majority of cases where a pathogen is found.

One of the most concerning things that the study identified was that 40% of patients with proven meningitis never had a cause found – this means that it was never identified whether it was a bacteria or virus or indeed which bacteria or virus that might be causing the meningitis. This clearly has implications for treatment as well as other wider issues such as surveillance. If you don’t know the cause it is difficult to instigate the correct treatment.

As a result of this further funding was obtained, via an NIHR doctoral fellowship to looking in to the area of diagnosis and diagnostics further. The study has been expanded and is now called the UK Meningitis study. Further information on that study can be found here.

The full results of the Meningitis NW study are currently being analysed and prepared for publication.