TABLE 5.
Characteristics of 103 survivors and non-survivors with cryptococcal meningitis.
| Total | Survival | Dead | p | |
| No. of cryptococcal meningitis cases | 103a | 67 | 36 | |
| Cryptococcus species (%) | 0.625 | |||
| C. neoformans s.s. | 98 (95.1) | 64 (95.5) | 34 (94.4) | |
| C. deneoformans | 1 (1.0) | 1 (1.5) | 0 | |
| C. deuterogattii | 4 (3.9) | 2 (3.0) | 2 (5.6) | |
| Demographic features | ||||
| Gender | ||||
| Male (%) | 60 (58.3) | 39 (58.2) | 21 (58.3) | 1 |
| Female (%) | 43 (41.7) | 28 (41.8) | 15 (41.7) | 1 |
| Age [mean (SD)] | 47.7 (16.5) | 45.5 (17.1) | 49.9 (14.7) | 0.195 |
| Contact to pigeon droppings = Yes (%) | 8 (7.8) | 5 (7.5) | 3 (8.3) | 1 |
| Underlying status | ||||
| Hepatitis and liver cirrhosis (%) | 13 (12.6) | 10 (14.9) | 3 (8.3) | 0.516 |
| Autoimmune disorders (including 7 SLE cases) (%) | 12 (11.7) | 4 (6.0) | 8 (22.2) | 0.033# |
| CKD (%) | 6 (5.8) | 2 (3.0) | 4 (11.1) | 0.216 |
| HIV/AIDS (%) | 4 (3.9) | 1 (1.5) | 3 (8.3) | 0.239 |
| Diabetes (%) | 5 (4.9) | 4 (6.0) | 1 (2.8) | 0.812 |
| Long-term use of immunosuppressants (%) | 3 (2.9) | 3 (4.5) | 0 | 0.5 |
| Malignancy (%) | 2 (1.9) | 1 (1.55) | 1 (2.8) | 1 |
| Pregnancy (%) | 2 (1.9) | 2 (3.0) | 0 | 0.766 |
| Transplant recipient (%) | 1 (1.0) | 0 | 1 (2.8) | 0.751 |
| No underlying diseases (%) | 40 (38.7) | 29 (43.3) | 11 (30.6) | 0.206 |
| Clinical presentations | ||||
| Altered mental status (%) | 9 (8.7) | 4 (6.0) | 5 (13.9) | 0.322 |
| Fever/chill (%) | 49 (47.6) | 31 (46.3) | 18 (50.0) | 0.877 |
| Septic shock (%) | 1 (1.0) | 0 | 1 (2.8) | 0.751 |
| Seizures (%) | 1 (1.0) | 1 (1.5) | 0 | 1 |
| Headache (%) | 80 (77.7) | 53 (79.1) | 27 (75.0) | 0.819 |
| Stiff neck (%) | 43 (41.7) | 27 (40.3) | 16 (44.4) | 0.844 |
| Nausea/vomiting (%) | 31 (30.1) | 19 (28.4) | 12 (33.3) | 0.764 |
| Visual disturbance (%) | 9 (8.7) | 7 (10.4) | 2 (5.6) | 0.637 |
| Speech difficulties (%) | 2 (1.9) | 1 (1.5) | 1 (2.8) | 1 |
| Palsies (%) | 4 (3.9) | 2 (3.0) | 2 (5.6) | 0.913 |
| Dizziness (%) | 8 (7.8) | 5 (7.5) | 3 (8.3) | 1 |
| Hemiplegia (%) | 2 (1.9) | 0 | 2 (5.6) | 0.23 |
| Unstable walking (%) | 4 (3.9) | 3 (4.5) | 1 (2.8) | 1 |
| Klinefelter sign (%) | 23 (22.3) | 12 (17.9) | 11 (30.6) | 0.222 |
| Brinell sign (%) | 8 (7.8) | 4 (6.0) | 4 (11.1) | 0.587 |
| Laboratory tests | ||||
| India ink staining (%) | 47 (45.6) | 27 (40.3) | 20 (55.6) | 0.202 |
| Course of the disease before hospitalization (days, IQR) | 30 (20–60) | 22 (15–30) | 0.179 | |
| Treatment strategies | ||||
| Shunt-containing regimen (%)b | 20 (19.4) | 16 (23.9) | 4 (11.1) | 0.193 |
| Mortality (hospitalization to death) (%) | ||||
| 30 days-mortality | 29 (28.2) | 29 (80.6) | ||
| 90 days-mortality | 33 (32.0) | 33 (91.7) | ||
| 1 year-mortality | 36 (35.0) | 36 (100) | ||
| Not received treatment due to death within three days of admission (%) | 14 (13.6) | 14 (38.9) |
#p < 0.05. aThere are seven subjects of loss to follow-up; bshunt: extraventricular drainage and/or ventriculoperitoneal shunts; CKD, Chronic kidney disease; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; IQR, interquartile range.