Table 2.
Patient characteristics
| Variable | |
|---|---|
| N | 69 |
| Age: median (range) | 53 (20–77) |
| Gender (M/F) | 42/27 |
| Cerebrospinal fluid: median (range) | |
| Glucose (mmol/l)* | 3.5 (1.8–9.5) |
| Protein (g/l)* | 0.34 (0.05–2.47) |
| Lactate dehydrogenase (U/l)* | 43 (10–116) |
| RBC (×106/l) | 0 (0–1,000) |
| WBC (×106/l)* | 2 (0–356) |
| Reason for lumbar puncture | |
| Diagnostic | 33 |
| Therapeutic | 28 |
| Spinal anesthesia | 8 |
| Malignancy | |
| Hematological | 43 |
| Solid | 18 |
| No | 8 |
RBC red blood cells, WBC white blood cells
*Reference ranges: glucose 2.5–3.7 mmol/l; protein 0.18–0.58 g/l; lactate dehydrogenase 0–69 U/l; WBC 0–5 × 106/l