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Many people have received cochlear implants to help them hear and communicate. CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carried out a study in 2002 to learn more about a possible link between cochlear implants and bacterial meningitis in children with cochlear implants. This study found that bacterial meningitis occurred more often in children with all types of cochlear implants than in children of the same age group in the general population. It also found that children with an implant with a positioner (a piece used in some implant models) were much more likely to get bacterial meningitis than children with other types of cochlear implants. (The implant with a positioner was voluntarily taken off the market by the manufacturer in July 2002.) This 2002 study had two purposes: (1) to find out how many children who had cochlear implants got bacterial meningitis afterwards, and (2) to find out if there are factors that might make it more likely that someone would get meningitis after getting a cochlear implant.
After the 2002 study was completed, the FDA continued to receive reports of bacterial meningitis in children with cochlear implants. Because of these new reports, CDC and the FDA updated the 2002 study by looking at reports that were received up to 2 years after the 2002 study ended. The purpose of this updated study was to find out if children with cochlear implants continued to be more likely to get bacterial meningitis than children of the same age group in the general population even after they had their implant in place for more than 2 years.

Following are links that provide some basic information about the study results, as well as sources where you can find more about cochlear implants and meningitis

	About the 2002 Study - a summary of the results.
	About the 2004 Study - a summary of the results
	Recommendations - recommendations for children with a cochlear implant and children who will be getting a cochlear implant
	Questions and Answers - frequently asked questions and the answers.
	Resources About Hearing Loss, Cochlear Implants, and Meningitis (pdf)  - an information resource list that has the telephone numbers and websites of organizations that can give you more information about cochlear implants and meningitis.
	New England Journal of Medicine Article

Because CDC is a public health agency, CDC personnel cannot give individual medical advice. If after reading through the information provided in this website you still have questions about cochlear implants or meningitis as they apply to you or to someone you know, you should contact your doctor. A personal doctor can get a complete medical history and prescribe treatment, and is your best source for medical advice.

We at CDC realize that this work could not have been done without the help of the parents of children with cochlear implants, state and local health departments, other federal health agencies, and cochlear implant manufacturers. Their cooperation is greatly appreciated.
 

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Date: November 01, 2007
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities