[Meningococcal disease: clinicopathological correlation].

Introduction: Clinicopathological correlation studies of cases admitted as meningococcal disease are scarce, although they can serve to elucidate clinically obscure cases.

Methods: A descriptive approach was used to analyze 42 necropsies following clinical diagnosis of meningococcal disease, verifying the agreement between histopathological and clinical findings evaluated according to three clinical forms of meningococcal disease (MD) in children and adults: septicemic meningococcal disease (MD-S), meningococcal disease with meningitis and septicemia (MD-MS), and meningococcal disease with meningitis/meningoencephalitis alone (MD-M).

Results: Of the total, 81% met the confirmatory clinical criteria; 56% were 14 years of age or less and 44% were over 14 years.