Tuberculous Meningitis in Adults: A Review of 160 Cases

Table 1

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of TBM cases.

		𝑛 (%)
Headache		138 (86.3)
Fever		110 (69.2)
Nausea vomiting		102 (63.8)
Lack of appetite weakness		65 (40.6)
Change in personality		44 (27.5)
Weight loss		42 (26.3)
Night sweats		37 (23.1)
Stiff neck		141 (88.1)
Meningeal irritation findings		59 (36.9)
Blurred consciousness		95 (59.4)
Cranial nerve palsy		38 (23.8)
Coma		33 (20.6)
Convulsions		25 (15.6)
Plegia/paresis		24 (15)
Peripheral WBC count; (𝑛∶131)	normal≠	97 (74)
	abnormal*	34 (26)
CSF WBC count/mm^3; (𝑛∶148)	<100	47 (31.8)
	100–500	86 (58.1)
	>500	15 (10.1)
CSF/blood glucose ratio; (𝑛∶148)	<0.60	140 (94.6)
	≤0.30	81 (54.7)
CSF protein level mg/dL; (𝑛∶148)	<40	13 (8.8)
	40–150	74 (50)
	>150	61 (41.2)
Culture positivity in CSF		59 (39.9)
Cranial CT or MRI; 𝑛∶134	Tuberculoma	49 (36.6)
	Basal meningitis	36 (26.9)
	Leptomeningeal palsy	34 (25.4)
	Hydrocephalus	28 (20.9)
	Edema	16 (11.9)
	Ischemia-infarct	12 (8.9)
	Abscess	5 (3.7)
	Arachnoiditis	3 (2.2)
	Normal	30 (22.4)

Normal ≠ 4000–10000/mm³.
Abnormal* >10000/mm³.