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Table 1 Detailed patients' characteristics compared between etiology groups

From: Evaluation of the epidemiologic, clinical, radiologic, and treatment methods of patients with subacute and chronic meningitis

Characteristics

Patients, No. (%)

Total

(n = 79)

Autoimmune

(n = 1)

Viral

(n = 1)

Bacterial, excluding TB

(n = 10)

TB

(n = 15)

Neoplastic

(n = 8)

No definite diagnosis

(n = 44)

P-value

Age, mean, years

37.3

39

18

35.1

29.7

57.4

37.2

0.00

Gender

 male

53/79 (67.1)

1(100)

1 (100)

7 (70.0)

8 (53.3)

2 (25.0)

34 (77.3)

0.02

 female

26/79 (32.9)

0

0

3 (30.0)

7 (46.7)

6 (75.0)

10 (22.7)

Symptoms

 Duration, mean, days

32.7

30

6

59.3

33.5

31.1

25.9

0.70

 Headache

69/79 (87.3)

1(100)

1 (100)

10 (100)

14 (93.3)

3 (37.5)

40 (90.9)

0.00

 Fever

44/78 (56.4)

0

1 (100)

5 (50.0)

15 (100)

1 (12.5)

22 (51.2)

0.00

 Nausea/vomiting

59/79 (74.7)

0

1 (100)

7 (70.0)

12 (80.0)

5 (62.5)

34 (77.3)

0.75

 Neurological  symptomsa

31/79 (39.2)

0

0

3 (30.0)

9 (60.0)

6 (75.0)

13 (29.5)

0.03

 Visual impairment

  Blurred vision

23/79 (29.1)

1(100)

1 (100)

4 (40.0)

3 (20.0)

3 (37.5)

11 (25.0)

0.41

  Diplopia

18/79 (22.8)

0

0

4 (40.0)

4 (26.7)

3 (37.5)

7 (15.9)

  Photophobia

3/79 (3.8)

0

0

0

1 (6.7)

0

2 (4.5)

 Seizure

11/72 (15.3)

0

0

1 (11.1)

3 (20.0)

1 (12.5)

6 (15.8)

0.96

 Night sweats

5/79 (6.4)

0

0

0

2 (13.3)

0

3 (7.0)

0.72

 Weight loss

6/79 (7.6)

0

0

1 (10.0)

2 (13.3)

1 (12.5)

2 (4.5)

0.38

 Dyspnea

2/79 (2.5)

0

0

0

0

0

2 (4.5)

1.00

 Cough

5/79 (6.3)

0

0

0

1 (6.7)

1 (12.5)

3 (6.8)

0.80

 Tinnitus

1/79 (1.3)

0

0

0

0

0

1 (2.3)

1.00

Medical history

 Immunosuppressionb

2/79 (2.5)

0

0

1

1

0

0

-

 Malignancy

8/79 (10.1)

0

0

0

0

6

2

-

Signs

 Altered mental status

21/78 (26.9)

0

0

1 (11.1)

8 (53.3)

3 (37.5)

9 (20.5)

0.57

 Nuchal rigidity

24/53 (45.3)

0

0

6 (75.0)

8 (72.7)

0

10 (34.5)

0.01

 Papillary edema

9/24 (37.5)

1(100)

0

2 (20.0)

0

1 (12.5)

5 (11.4)

0.02

Laboratory analysis

 WBC count, mean, × 109/L

9.8

11.2

8.5

13.9

10.4

6.2

9.1

0.02

 CSF analysis

  WBC count, mean, cells/mm3

1248.3

40

740

8199.4

201.6

334.5

380.3

0.50

  Pleocytosis

   Neutrophilic

24/62 (38.7)

1(100)

0

6 (100)

2 (15.4)

1 (25.0)

14 (37.8)

0.04

   Monocytic

34/62 (54.8)

0

1 (100)

0

10 (76.9)

3 (75.0)

20 (54.1)

   Lymphocytic

4/62 (6.5)

0

0

0

1 (7.7)

0

3 (8.1)

  Elevated Protein

49/67 (73.1)

0

1 (100)

6 (75.0)

11 (91.7)

4 (100)

27 (65.9)

0.24

  Decreased glucose

47/54 (87.0)

1(100)

0

5 (83.3)

11 (100)

3 (75)

27 (87.1)

0.43

Radiology

 Normal Brain CT scan

24/35 (68.6)

-

-

3 (75)

6 (60)

1 (50)

14 (73.7)

0.75

 Normal Brain MRI

15/25 (60.0)

0

-

2 (100)

2 (33.3)

1 (33.3)

10 (76.9)

0.02

Management

 Steroid therapy

30/79 (38.0)

1(100)

1 (100)

2 (20)

6 (40)

7 (87.5)

14 (31.8)

0.06

 Anti-TB therapy

25/77 (32.5)

0

0

0

15 (100)

0

11 (25.6)

0.00

 Empirical acyclovir  therapy

23/64 (35.9)

-

1 (100)

3 (33.3)

7 (46.7)

2 (40)

10 (29.4)

0.53

 Empirical antibiotic therapy

55/60 (91.7)

-

0

8 (100)

10 (90.9)

3 (60)

34 (97.1)

0.04

Death

12/75 (16.0)

0

0

1 (11.1)

4 (26.7)

1 (16.7)

6 (14.0)

0.65

  1. TB Tuberculosis, WBC White blood cells, CSF Cerebrospinal fluid, CT Computed tomography, MRI Magnetic resonance imaging.
  2. a Focal neurologic deficits and altered level and content of consciousness.
  3. b History of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) or immunosuppressant medications.
  4. ‡ The comparisons have been made among etiology groups (bacterial, TB, neoplastic, and no definite diagnosis.)