A Review of Tuberculous Meningitis in a Canadian Pediatric Hospital

Tuberculous meningitis is a disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. Experience with this disease at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto was reviewed to determine whether changes in prognosis have occurred in the past decade. All patients from whom the organism was recovered from...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lissette Navas, Elaine Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1991-01-01
Series:Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1991/638031
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850218627613065216
author Lissette Navas
Elaine Wang
author_facet Lissette Navas
Elaine Wang
author_sort Lissette Navas
collection DOAJ
description Tuberculous meningitis is a disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. Experience with this disease at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto was reviewed to determine whether changes in prognosis have occurred in the past decade. All patients from whom the organism was recovered from the cerebrospinal fluid, or who had a positive Mantoux test in association with a compatible history, were included. Thirteen patients were identified from 1978 to 1989. The median age was six years (range 11 months to 17.5 years). Nine patients were born in Canada, but all except one were members of recently immigrant families. History of close contact with an adult with tuberculosis, or travel to an endemic area in the preceding six months, was present in seven cases. All patients had clinical manifestations and mild pleocytosis with elevated protein content in the cerebrospinal fluid. Patients were all diagnosed within 20 days after admission (median one day). Computed tomography scan of the head was abnormal in all patients within three weeks of admission. No patient died, although long term sequelae developed in five. The prognosis of tuberculous meningitis has improved in the past decade. Although a specific reason for this improvement cannot be definitively stated, earlier diagnosis and better chemotherapy may contribute.
format Article
id doaj-art-31ef36596a13463580b84d692c2791a9
institution OA Journals
issn 1180-2332
language English
publishDate 1991-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases
spelling doaj-art-31ef36596a13463580b84d692c2791a92025-08-20T02:07:40ZengWileyCanadian Journal of Infectious Diseases1180-23321991-01-012415516010.1155/1991/638031A Review of Tuberculous Meningitis in a Canadian Pediatric HospitalLissette Navas0Elaine Wang1Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDivision of Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaTuberculous meningitis is a disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. Experience with this disease at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto was reviewed to determine whether changes in prognosis have occurred in the past decade. All patients from whom the organism was recovered from the cerebrospinal fluid, or who had a positive Mantoux test in association with a compatible history, were included. Thirteen patients were identified from 1978 to 1989. The median age was six years (range 11 months to 17.5 years). Nine patients were born in Canada, but all except one were members of recently immigrant families. History of close contact with an adult with tuberculosis, or travel to an endemic area in the preceding six months, was present in seven cases. All patients had clinical manifestations and mild pleocytosis with elevated protein content in the cerebrospinal fluid. Patients were all diagnosed within 20 days after admission (median one day). Computed tomography scan of the head was abnormal in all patients within three weeks of admission. No patient died, although long term sequelae developed in five. The prognosis of tuberculous meningitis has improved in the past decade. Although a specific reason for this improvement cannot be definitively stated, earlier diagnosis and better chemotherapy may contribute.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1991/638031
spellingShingle Lissette Navas
Elaine Wang
A Review of Tuberculous Meningitis in a Canadian Pediatric Hospital
Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases
title A Review of Tuberculous Meningitis in a Canadian Pediatric Hospital
title_full A Review of Tuberculous Meningitis in a Canadian Pediatric Hospital
title_fullStr A Review of Tuberculous Meningitis in a Canadian Pediatric Hospital
title_full_unstemmed A Review of Tuberculous Meningitis in a Canadian Pediatric Hospital
title_short A Review of Tuberculous Meningitis in a Canadian Pediatric Hospital
title_sort review of tuberculous meningitis in a canadian pediatric hospital
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1991/638031
work_keys_str_mv AT lissettenavas areviewoftuberculousmeningitisinacanadianpediatrichospital
AT elainewang areviewoftuberculousmeningitisinacanadianpediatrichospital
AT lissettenavas reviewoftuberculousmeningitisinacanadianpediatrichospital
AT elainewang reviewoftuberculousmeningitisinacanadianpediatrichospital