title: [Prognosis factors in cryptococcal meningoencephalitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify demographic, clinical and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) variables associated to intrahospitalar lethality of patients with cryptococcal meningoencephalitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort to study prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospital Couto Maia (HCMaia) reference for patients with infectious diseases in the State of Bahia Northeastern Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients admitted at HCMaia, from 1972 to 1996, with the diagnosis of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lethality rate was 42.7%. The most important neurological abnormalities were neck stiffness, decreased consciousness level, behavior changes, cranial nerve palsy and visual alteration. Disease time over 30 days, involvement of consciousness level and cerebrospinal fluid cells under 40/mm3 were associated to a higher lethality rate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Disease time over 30 days, involvement of consciousness level, and CSF decreased cellularity were the only predictors of lethality in the studied population.
authors.affiliation: Divisão de Neuroinfectologia e Neuroepidemiologia Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Brasil.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Darzé
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lucena
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Melo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies