Table 1 Baseline comparison of drug and placebo groups

Mean Age¹

15 · 4

15 · 7

16 · 1

17 · 6

Male sex²

102

72 · 8

108

76 · 6

Mean weight for age¹

73 · 6

15 · 3

75 · 92

17 · 62

Mean duration of illness at presentation¹

5 · 3

1 · 8

5 · 3

1 · 9

Headache²

66

47 · 1

62

43 · 9

Convulsion²

102

72 · 8

105

74 · 4

Mean GCS at admission¹

8 · 6

2 · 6

8 · 2

2 · 5

Rash²

21

15.0

16

11.3

Swelling²

25

17.8

19

13.5

Bleeding²

5

3.5

13

9.2

Spleen palpable²

9

6.4

14

9.9

Meningeal signs²

63

45 · 0

58

41 · 1

Focal deficit²

11

7 · 8

17

12 · 0

↑ Tone²

65

46.4

67

47.5

↑ ICT²

13

9 · 3

20

14 · 2

Decerebration²

8

5 · 7

13

9.2

Mean Hb (gm/l) ¹

105

20

106

24

Mean TLC¹ (x 10⁹/ l)

12.5

8.6

13.6

8.2

Mean polymorph %¹

69 · 13

13 · 65

70 · 29

14 · 9

Mean platelets¹(x 10⁹/ l)

143 · 3

95 · 4

166 · 2

214 · 8

Mean CSF protein¹ (g/l)

0 · 80

0 · 78

0 · 91

1 · 3

Mean CSF/ blood sugar ratio¹

0 · 56

0. ·2

0 · 55

0 · 21

Mean CSF cells (per cu mm) ¹

114 · 2

304 · 2

283 · 1

1118 · 7

Mean sAST¹ (u/l)

116 · 6

149 · 5

132 · 8

244 · 2

Mean sALT¹(u/l)

103 · 8

203 · 4

124 · 5

355 · 3

Mean s Protein (g/l) ¹

74

68

77

79

Mean s Albumin (g/l) ¹

34

07

32

07

Mean s Urea¹ (mmol/l)

15 · 2

8 · 6

17 · 3

11 · 1

Mean s creatinine¹ (μmol/l)

97 · 2

79 · 6

106 · 1

79 · 6