Chronic Meningitis: A study on epidemiological and clinical findings, treatment results and prognosis of 97 patients

Abstract

Central nervous system’s disorders including chronic meningitis (CM) have considerable mortality and irreversible complications, and diagnosis and treatment of CM is difficult. In this retrospective study we reviwed epidemiological and clinical findings, treatment results and prognostic factors of 97 patients with CM admitted in Imam Khomeini hospital for the last 10 years. Important etiological factors in this study included: Mycobacterium Tuberculousis (8.2%) Brucellae SP (5.2%), malignancies (1%) and unknown (85.5%); the sexual ratio was 2:1 (Male/Female) and the most common clinical manifestations were: fever, headache, cranial and motor neuron involvement, seizure and ataxia. Treatment regimens used included antituberculosis agents with or witout corticosteroids, in which the prognosis was better in patients who had been treated with antituberculosis agents alone. The mortality rate was 22.7%, which was in accordance with other studies. We suggest using of antituberculosis treatment alone in comparison with antituberculosis and corticosteroid. Last but not least a double blind randomized clinical trial for a longer period is needed to further substantiate the results of this study.