Clinical Features and Outcome in Adult Cases of Tuberculous Meningitis in Tertiary Care Hospital in Antananarivo, Madagascar

Neurocognitive outcomes of tuberculous meningitis in a primarily HIV-positive Ugandan cohort

Background: The toll of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in both mortality and disability is considerable, but advancements in rehabilitation have the potential to improve the functional abilities and the quality of survivors' lives. However, the typical phenotype of neurocognitive impairment in TBM survivors remains unstudied in HIV-predominant populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: We tested 36 survivors of TBM in Uganda with a comprehensive battery of neurocognitive assessments at 8 and 24 weeks after diagnosis, and compared results to a representative cohort of HIV-uninfected Ugandans. Results: While participants had a broad range of impairments at eight weeks, there was marked improvement by 24 weeks, when a phenotype of impairment including deficits in motor functioning, verbal learning and memory, processing speed, and executive function emerged. These deficits were present despite good clinician-rated functional status. The majority (23/27, 85%) had evidence of moderate to severe depression at week 8, and at week 24 (18/24, 75%). Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for more comprehensive neurocognitive assessment in the survivors of TBM, and further investment in and study of rehabilitation, including management of depression, to improve long-term outcomes in this population.

Neurocognitive outcomes of HIV-associated tuberculous meningitis

Background: The toll of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in both mortality and disability is considerable, but advancements in rehabilitation have the potential to improve the functional abilities and the quality of survivors' lives. However, the typical phenotype of neurocognitive impairment in TBM survivors remains unstudied in HIV-predominant populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: We tested 36 survivors of TBM in Uganda with a comprehensive battery of neurocognitive assessments at 8 and 24 weeks after diagnosis, and compared results to a representative cohort of HIV-uninfected Ugandans. Results: While participants had a broad range of impairments at eight weeks, there was marked improvement by 24 weeks, when a phenotype of impairment including deficits in motor functioning, verbal learning and memory, processing speed, and executive function emerged. These deficits were present despite good clinician-rated functional status. The majority (23/27, 85%) had evidence of moderate to severe depression at week 8, and at week 24 (18/24, 75%). Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for more comprehensive neurocognitive assessment in the survivors of TBM, and further investment in and study of rehabilitation, including management of depression, to improve long-term outcomes in this population.

Prognostic factors of adult tuberculous meningitis in intensive care unit: a single-center retrospective study in East China

BACKGROUND

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most lethal form of tuberculosis worldwide. Data on critically ill TBM patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) of China are lacking. We tried to identify prognostic factors of adult TBM patients admitted to ICU in China.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study on adult TBM in ICU between January 2008 and April 2018. Factors associated with unfavorable outcomes at 28 days were identified by logistic regression. Factors associated with 1-year mortality were studied by Cox proportional hazards modeling.

RESULTS

Eighty adult patients diagnosed with TBM (age 38.5 (18-79) years, 45 (56 %) males) were included in the study. An unfavorable outcome was observed in 39 (49 %) patients and were independently associated with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II > 23 (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 5.57, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.55-19.97), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) > 8 (aOR 9.74, 95 % CI 1.46-64.88), and mechanical ventilation (aOR 18.33, 95 % CI 3.15-106.80). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified two factors associated with 1-year mortality: APACHE II > 23 (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 4.83; 95 % CI 2.21-10.55), and mechanical ventilation (aHR 9.71; 95 % CI 2.31-40.87).

CONCLUSIONS

For the most severe adult TBM patients of Medical Research Council (MRC) stage III, common clinical factors aren't effective enough to predict outcomes. Our study demonstrates that the widely used APACHE II and SOFA scores on admission can be used to predict short-term outcomes, while APACHE II could also be used to predict long-term outcomes of adult patients with TBM in ICU.

Risk factors for poor outcome in childhood tuberculous meningitis

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains a serious disease for children and its risk factors of poor outcome remain unclear. Therefore, a retrospective study was conducted aiming to investigate the risk factors associated with poor outcome of childhood TBM. Between January 2006 and December 2019, consecutive children patients (≤ 15 years old) who had a diagnosis of TBM were included for the analysis. The demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiographic data were collected from the electronic medical records retrospectively. Poor outcome was defined as death or transfer to a higher-level hospital. Patients were then divided into good and poor outcome groups. Subsequently, risk factors for poor outcome were estimated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 149 children with TBM was enrolled, twenty-two patients suffered poor outcome, including 16 transfers to a higher-level hospital and 6 deaths, and the remaining 127 patients were classified as good outcome group. Further multivariate analysis revealed that coma (age- and sex-adjusted OR = 6.425, 95% CI: 1.743, 23.676; P < 0.01) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein (> 1188.3 mg/L; age- and sex-adjusted OR = 4.680, 95% CI: 1.469, 14.902; P < 0.01) were associated with the poor outcome of childhood TBM. Childhood TBM remains to have a high mortality rate in China. High CSF protein and coma were identified as risk factors for poor outcome of childhood TBM. Hence, more attention is required to be paid to suspected patients with such characteristics, thus facilitating access to optimum treatment.

Treatment Outcomes in Adult Tuberculous Meningitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

There is substantial variation in the reported treatment outcomes for adult tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Data on survival and neurological disability by continent and HIV serostatus are scarce.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterize treatment outcomes for adult TBM. Following a systematic literature search (MEDLINE and EMBASE), studies underwent duplicate screening by independent reviewers in 2 stages to assess eligibility for inclusion. Two independent reviewers extracted data from included studies. We employed a random effects model for all meta-analyses. We evaluated heterogeneity by the I 2 statistic.

RESULTS

We assessed 2197 records for eligibility; 39 primary research articles met our inclusion criteria, reporting on treatment outcomes for 5752 adults with TBM. The commonest reported outcome measure was 6-month mortality. Pooled 6-month mortality was 24% and showed significant heterogeneity (I 2 > 95%; P < .01). Mortality ranged from 2% to 67% in Asian studies and from 23% to 80% in Sub-Saharan African studies. Mortality was significantly worse in HIV-positive adults at 57% (95% CI, 48%-67%), compared with 16% (95% CI, 10%-24%) in HIV-negative adults (P < .01). Physical disability was reported in 32% (95% CI, 22%-43%) of adult TBM survivors. There was considerable heterogeneity between studies in all meta-analyses, with I 2 statistics consistently >50%.

CONCLUSIONS

Mortality in adult TBM is high and varies considerably by continent and HIV status. The highest mortality is among HIV-positive adults in Sub-Saharan Africa. Standardized reporting of treatment outcomes will be essential to improve future data quality and increase potential for data sharing, meta-analyses, and facilitating multicenter tuberculosis research to improve outcomes.

Mortality from HIV-associated meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

HIV-associated cryptococcal, TB and pneumococcal meningitis are the leading causes of adult meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis with the primary aim of estimating mortality from major causes of adult meningitis in routine care settings, and to contrast this with outcomes from clinical trial settings.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for published clinical trials (defined as randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) or investigator-managed prospective cohorts) and observational studies that evaluated outcomes of adult meningitis in SSA from 1 January 1990 through 15 September 2019. We performed random effects modelling to estimate pooled mortality, both in clinical trial and routine care settings. Outcomes were stratified as short-term (in-hospital or two weeks), medium-term (up to 10 weeks) and long-term (up to six months).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Seventy-nine studies met inclusion criteria. In routine care settings, pooled short-term mortality from cryptococcal meningitis was 44% (95% confidence interval (95% CI):39% to 49%, 40 studies), which did not differ between amphotericin (either alone or with fluconazole) and fluconazole-based induction regimens, and was twofold higher than pooled mortality in clinical trials using amphotericin based treatment (21% (95% CI:17% to 25%), 17 studies). Pooled short-term mortality of TB meningitis was 46% (95% CI: 33% to 59%, 11 studies, all routine care). For pneumococcal meningitis, pooled short-term mortality was 54% in routine care settings (95% CI:44% to 64%, nine studies), with similar mortality reported in two included randomized-controlled trials. Few studies evaluated long-term outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Mortality rates from HIV-associated meningitis in SSA are very high under routine care conditions. Better strategies are needed to reduce mortality from HIV-associated meningitis in the region.

Treatment outcomes of tuberculous meningitis in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Tuberculous meningitis is the most devastating presentation of disease with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We sought to evaluate treatment outcomes for adult patients with this disease.

Methods

The Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases were searched to identify all relevant studies. We pooled appropriate data to estimate treatment outcomes at the end of treatment and follow-up.

Results

Among the articles identified, 22 met our inclusion criteria, with 2437 patients. In a pooled analysis, the risk of death was 24.7% (95%CI: 18.7–31.9). The risk of neurological sequelae among survivors was 50.9% (95%CI: 40.2–61.5). Patients diagnosed in stage III or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive were significantly more likely to die (64.8, 53.4% respectively) during treatment. The frequency of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) acid-fast-bacilli smear positivity was 10.0% (95% CI 5.5–17.6), 23.8% (15.2–35.3) for CSF culture positivity, and 22.3% (17.8–27.5) for CSF polymerase chain reaction positivity. We found that the headache, fever, vomiting, and abnormal chest radiograph were the most common symptoms and diagnostic findings among tuberculous meningitis patients.

Conclusions

Despite anti-tuberculosis treatment, adult tuberculous meningitis has very poor outcomes. The mortality rate of patients diagnosed in stage III or HIV co-infection increased significantly during treatment.

Clinical features, outcomes and prognostic factors of tuberculous meningitis in adults worldwide: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is one of the most life-threatening infectious diseases. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical features, outcomes, and prognostic factors for TBM in adults.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Web of Science were searched for studies that reported the clinical outcomes and/or risk factors for death in adults with TBM between January 1990 and July 2018. A random-effects meta-analysis model was used to pool data on clinical features, outcomes, and risk factors for death.

RESULTS

Thirty-two studies that examined 5023 adults who had TBM met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the mortality was 22.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 18.9-26.8] and the risk of neurological sequelae was 28.7% (95% CI 22.8-35.1). The major risk factors for death (OR > 2 and P < 0.05) were advanced stage of disease (OR = 6.06, 95% CI 4.31-8.53), hydrocephalus (OR = 5.27, 95% CI 2.25-12.37), altered consciousness (OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.51-7.36), altered sensorium (OR 3.31, 95% CI 2.20-4.98), advanced age (> 60 years; OR = 2.64, 95% CI 1.27-5.51), and cerebral infarction (OR = 2.35, 95% CI 1.63-3.38). The clinical features and diagnostic findings present in more than four-fifths of the patients were fever (86.3%, 95% CI 82.4-89.8) and low CSF/serum glucose ratio (80.6%, 95% CI 64.8-92.6).

CONCLUSIONS

Adults with TBM have high rates of mortality. Clinicians should maintain a high clinical suspicion for patients who present with certain clinical features, and should pay more attention to prognostic factors.

Factores sociodemográficos y fisiopatológicos asociados a la tuberculosis del sistema nervioso central en un Hospital Público de Lima-Perú, 2014-2017

Objetivo: Determinar los factores sociodemográficos y fisiopatológicos de la neurotuberculosis (NTB) en los pacientes registrados en el Programa de Control de la Tuberculosis (PCT) del Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo.Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal analítico, desarrollado entre Julio del 2014 y Julio del 2017. Se diseñó una ficha que incluyó datos sociodemográficos, fisiopatológicos y las características al diagnóstico. Se obtuvieron las razones de prevalencia (RP) crudos y ajustados, con intervalos de confianza al 95%.Resultados: Participaron 1038 pacientes. El 16% de toda la población y de 34% de las tuberculosis extra pulmonares tenia NTB. La forma clínica más frecuente fue la meningoencefalitis tuberculosa (MEC TB) (96%). Dentro de las manifestaciones clínicas destacaron las convulsiones (22%), cefalea (20%), signos meníngeos (18%) y trastorno del sensorio (16%). La presencia de NTB estuvo asociada al diagnóstico de VIH (RPa: 2,06; IC95%: 1,53-2,76; Valor p<0,001), condición de alcoholismo (RPa: 1,53; IC95%: 1,04-2,25; Valor p=0,030) y género femenino (RPa: 1,40; IC95%: 1,06-1,84; Valor p=0,019).Conclusiones: El diagnóstico de VIH, condición de alcoholismo y el género femenino son factores asociados a mayor frecuencia de NTB en el Hospital Dos de Mayo.