INTRODUCTION: Auditory deficit has been considered one of the main late manifestations of meningitis, when it occurs during the two first years of life. Few studies have been conducted in Brazil explaining the evolution of children who had meningitis and the percentage, as well the neurological gravity, the auditory problems and sequels after the children left the hospital. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the main auditory and neurological correlation, delineating the profile of the auditory deficits found five years after the central nervous system infection. METHOD: We evaluated children between 5 and 7 years old, admitted in Couto Maia Hospital in the year of 1997, that had been diagnosed with meningitis at an age of two years or below. RESULTS: 19 children passed through the neurological and auditory evaluation. The average age was 6 years and 68.42% were male. In relation to etiology, 52.63% pyogenic, 42.1% viral, 5.26% due to tuberculosis. Auditory alterations had occurred in 26.31% of this population. CONCLUSION: Auditory problems cause academic and social implications in the affected children, especially those of school age. We confirmed the necessity of audiologic following of all children with previous history of meningitis.
meningitis; children; prognosis; hearing loss; neurological impairment; communication
