Table 1.
Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Cryptococcal Meningitisa
| Clinical Characteristics | N = 35 (Median) | % (IQR) |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 37 | (30–45) |
| Black Race | 29 | (82.9) |
| Male | 28 | (80) |
| Symptoms at presentationa | ||
| CNS | 31 | (88.6) |
| Headache | 24 | (68.6) |
| Abnormal mental Status | 8 | (22.9) |
| Gastrointestinal | 16 | (45.7) |
| Systemic | 12 | (34.3) |
| Respiratory | 3 | (8.6) |
| HIV positive | 28 | (80) |
| HIV infection diagnosed on presentation | 12 | (50) |
| CD4 count (cells/mL) | 16 | (9–42) |
| Viral load (×103 copies/mL) | 61 | (31–317) |
| On antiretroviral medications | 7 | (25) |
| Solid organ Transplant | 6 | (17.1) |
| Time from transplant (years) | 4.5 | (1–6) |
| Fluconazole MIC, ≥16 µg/mL | 13 | (37.1) |
| Cryptococcal antigen | ||
| Serum | 512 | (128–512) |
| CSF | 512 | (32–1024) |
| CSF WBC | 44 | (6–100) |
| Recurrence | 10 | (35.7) |
| CNS complications | 7 | (20) |
| Crude mortality | 10 | (32.3) |
| Mortality at 14 d | 3 | (13.6) |
Abbreviations: CNS, central nervous system; CRAG cryptococcal antigen CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; IQR, interquartile range; MIC, minimal inhibitory concentration; VP, ventriculoperitoneal; WBC, white blood cells.
a CNS (headache, parasthesia, seizures, weakness, neck stiffness, ataxia, slurred speech); gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain); systemic (fever, fatigue, weight loss, chills, night sweats); respiratory (cough, shortness of breath, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sore throat); CNS complications (VP shunt, blindness or other vision loss, deafness, seizures); cryptococcal antigen.