[Tuberculous meningitis: prognostic aspects of 22 microbiologically confirmed cases].
BACKGROUND
Tuberculous meningitis continues to be a severe disease difficult to diagnose within a reasonable time carrying a high morbimortality.


METHODS
A retrospective review of cases of microbiologically confirmed tuberculous meningitis diagnosed and treated in the authors' institution is presented.


RESULTS
From 1974-1993, 22 patients (12 males and 10 females, mean age of 31.5 years; range: 4 months and 77 years) were studied. Eighteen patients (81%) presented extrameningeal tuberculosis. Seven (31.8%) died and 6 (27.3%) presented severe neurologic sequelae. The worst prognosis was observed in patients older than the mean (p = 0.03), worse neurologic situation on admittance (p = 0.03) and hydrocephaly diagnosed by imaging techniques (p = 0.04). Corticoids were administered in 15 patients (68%) without contributing comparatively to better disease prognosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors consider that the initiation of specific early treatment in justified while awaiting microbiologic confirmation of the disease.
Ramos
J M
JM
Servicio de Microbiología Clínica, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid.
Esteban
J
J
Fernández-Guerrero
M L
ML
Soriano
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology
Meningitis tuberculosa: aspectos pronósticos de 22 casos con confirmación microbiológica.