TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristicsa
| Characteristic | Total no. of patients (%) | No. of patients aged <14 yrs (%) | No. of patients aged >14 yrs (%) | P valueb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total no. of patients | 46 | 23 | 23 | |
| Age (years) | ||||
| Median [IQR]; range | 5.6 [2.3–32.6]; 0.5–65.5 | 2.6 [2.0–4.2]; 0.5–11.4 | 40.7 [23.8–48.5]; 14.3–65.5 | |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 28 (60.9) | 15 (65.2) | 13 (56.5) | |
| Female | 18 (39.1) | 8 (34.8) | 10 (43.5) | 0.546 |
| Racec | ||||
| Caucasian | 1 (2.3) | 0 (0) | 1 (5.0) | |
| Mixed ancestry | 33 (76.7) | 21 (91.3) | 12 (60.0) | |
| African black | 9 (20.9) | 2 (8.7) | 7 (35.0) | 0.055 FE |
| BCG immunization | ||||
| Yes | 1 (11.1) | 8 (88.9) | ||
| No | 8 (88.9) | 1 (11.1) | ||
| Possible TB household contact | ||||
| No/unknown | 10 (47.6) | 10 (47.6) | ||
| Yes | 11 (52.4) | 11 (52.4) | ||
| TBM staged | ||||
| I | 2 (4.9) | 0 (0) | 2 (10.5) | |
| IIa | 8 (19.5) | 4 (18.2) | 4 (21.1) | |
| IIb | 6 (14.6) | 1 (4.5) | 5 (26.3) | 0.301 FE |
| III | 25 (61.0) | 17 (77.3) | 8 (42.1) | 0.420 FE |
| TBMe | ||||
| Probable | 17 (37.8) | 4 (17.4) | 13 (59.1) | |
| Proven | 28 (62.2) | 19 (82.6) | 9 (40.9) | 0.004 |
| Therapy received | ||||
| Isoniazid | 34 (87.2) | 21 (91.3) | 13 (81.3) | 0.631 FE |
| Rifampin | 34 (87.2) | 22 (95.7) | 12 (75.0) | 0.139 FE |
| Pyrazinamide | 29 (74.4) | 19 (82.6) | 10 (62.5) | 0.264 FE |
| Ethionamide | 18 (46.2) | 17 (73.9) | 1 (6.3) | <0.001 |
| Ethambutol | 20 (51.3) | 10 (43.5) | 10 (62.5) | 0.242 |
| Penicillin | 28 (71.8) | 19 (82.6) | 9 (56.3 | 0.146 FE |
| Streptomycin | 8 (20.5) | 3 (13.0) | 5 (31.3) | 0.235 FE |
| Therapy duration (days)f | ||||
| Median [IQR]; range | 7 [4–13]; 0–153 | 8 [4–25]; 0–153 | 7 [3–9]; 2–28 | 0.167 MW |
Baseline characteristics for patients <14 years old versus those >14 years old with probable or definite tuberculous meningitis whose samples are used in this study.
Chi-square used unless stated otherwise (FE, Fisher’s Exact test; MW, Mann-Whitney U test).
Significance level between mixed ancestry and African black.
Tuberculous meningitis stage at presentation is based on the “refined” British Medical Research Council scale (34). Stage I, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) of 15, without focal neurological deficits; Stage IIa, GCS of 15, with focal neurological deficits, or GCS of 13 to 14, with or without focal neurological deficits; Stage IIb, GCS of 10 to 12, with or without focal neurological deficits; Stage III, GCS of <10, with or without focal neurological deficits. P value represents difference between IIb or III and IIa.
Probable based on histopathology; proven based on histopathology and ZN positivity.
Time between treatment commenced until biopsy/death in days.