Table 1.
Patient Characteristics
| Pt. a | Sex | Agea | Race/Ethnicity | Symptoms on Presentation | Medical Comorbidities | Inflammatory Markers on Admissionc | Underlying Neurological Conditions | Indication for LP | Outcomeb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult patients (age >18 y) | |||||||||
| 1 | M | 61 | Hispanic | Fatigue, headache, SOB | Asthma, HTN, DM type II | IL6 79, ferritin 199, ESR 118, CRP 153, D-dimer 0.9 | None | Anisocoria, infarct seen on HCT | Still admitted |
| 2 | M | 64 | Hispanic | Left facial droop, left arm weakness, AMS | CKD, DM type II, schizophrenia | IL6 27, ferritin 450, ESR 102, CRP 300, D-dimer 20 | None | Concern for CNS infection | Discharged |
| 3 | M | 39 | Hispanic | SOB, fever worsening for 1 wk | Coarctation of the aorta, endocarditis | IL6 501, ferritin 2304, ESR 92, CRP 263, D-dimer 5.5 | None | Flaccid quadriplegia | Deceased |
| 4 | M | 63 | Caucasian | Aphasia, AMS | HTN, CAD, CKD | IL6 1.7, ferritin 1643, ESR 31, CRP 1.4, D-dimer 2.4 | None | Concern for CNS infection | Discharged |
| 5 | M | 65 | Hispanic | Abd. pain, fever, cough | HTN, DM | IL6 22, ferritin 1815, ESR 71, CRP 249, D-dimer 0.4 | None | Concern for CNS infection | Deceased |
| 6 | M | 80 | African American | Aphasia, AMS | HTN | IL6 19, ferritin 1462, ESR 75, CRP 138, D-dimer 20 | None | AMS | Discharged |
| 7 | M | 44 | Hispanic | Urinary retention, lower limb weakness and numbness, slurring of speech | None | IL6 1.6, ferritin 1507, ESR 34, CRP 1.6, D-dimer 2.8 | None | Transverse myelitis | Discharged |
| 8 | M | 39 | Hispanic | Fever, headache, stiff neck, fatigue | None | IL6 91, ferritin 512, ESR 39, CRP 77, D-dimer 0.3 | None | Concern for meningitis | Discharged |
| 9 | M | 47 | Hispanic | Nausea, vomiting headache, and fever | None | IL6 48, ferritin 733, ESR 130, CRP 85, D-dimer 20 | None | EVD placed for hydrocephalus | Deceased |
| 10 | F | 62 | Hispanic | AMS, headache, urinary incontinence | HTN | IL6 8.9, ferritin 257, ESR 40, CRP 4.8, D-dimer 0.3 | None | Concern for ventriculitis in setting of EVD | Still admitted |
| 11 | M | 65 | Caucasian | Fever, fatigue, generalized body weakness | HTN, HLD, VF arrest | IL6 8.0, ferritin 739, ESR 58, CRP 281, D-dimer 2.8 | None | Concern for meningitis | Discharged |
| 17 | F | 70 | Hispanic | AMS | None | IL6 44, ferritin 1524, ESR 130, CRP 273, D-dimer 2.3 | Dementia | AMS, agitation | Discharged |
| 21 | F | 61 | African American | AMS, fever, SOB | DM, hypothyroidism, CKD, NASH, s/p liver transplant | IL6 158, ferritin 1206, ESR 83, CRP 300, D-dimer 2.8 | Epilepsy | Concern for CNS infection | Discharged |
| 23 | M | 61 | NR | Fever, AMS, hallucinations, paranoia | HIV, HTN | IL6 8.0, ferritin 732, ESR 119, CRP 50, D-dimer 6.2 | Stroke | AMS | Discharged |
| 24 | F | 57 | NR | AMS, loss of appetite | DM, obesity | IL6 16, ferritin 2470, ESR 30, CRP 141, D-dimer 20 | None | AMS | Discharged |
| 25 | M | 52 | Hispanic | Left-sided weakness | None | IL6 22, ferritin 154, ESR 11, CRP 3.4, D-dimer 7.1 | None | Concern for ventriculitis | Still admitted |
| 27 | M | 56 | NR | Fever, cough, myalgia | None | IL6 15, ferritin 6478, ESR 39, CRP 94, D-dimer 0.5 | None | Concern for CNS infection | Discharged |
| Pediatric patients (birth to 18 y) | |||||||||
| 12 | M | 11 | African American | Fever | None | IL6 158, ferritin 574, ESR 56, CRP 290, D-dimer 2.4 | Febrile seizures | Fever | Discharged |
| 13 | M | 6 wk | Caucasian | Fever, seizure | None | Not sent | None | Seizures/fever in neonate | Discharged |
| 14 | M | 8 | Hispanic | Status epilepticus | None | Ferritin 33, CRP 6.6, D-dimer 0.4 | Epilepsy | Seizures | Discharged |
| 15 | M | 16 d | Hispanic | Fever, lethargy | None | CRP 2.6 | None | Fever in neonate | Discharged |
| 16 | M | 6 d | Other | Jaundice, lethargy | None | Not sent | None | Concern for meningitis | Discharged |
| 18 | M | 17 d | Caucasian | Fever | None | CRP 0.8 | None | Fever in neonate | Discharged |
| 19 | M | 11 d | Caucasian | Cough, fever | None | CRP 1.1 | None | Fever in neonate | Discharged |
| 20 | F | 3 mo | Caucasian | Lethargy, fever | None | CRP 0.4 | None | Fever | Discharged |
| 22 | F | 15 d | Other | Fever, nasal congestion | None | Not sent | None | Fever in neonate | Discharged |
| 26 | M | 6 | Caucasian | Fever, rash, swollen lips | None | Ferritin 379, CRP 0.7, D-dimer 0.8 | None | Concern for elevated intracranial pressure in setting of MIS-C | Discharged |
Abbreviations: AMS, altered mental status; CAD, coronary artery disease; CKD, chronic kidney disease; CNS, central nervous system; CRP, C-reactive protein; DM, diabetes mellitus; ESR, estimated sedimentation rate; HLD, hyperlipidemia; HOCM, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy; HTN, hypertension; IL6, interleukin-6; MIS-C, multsystem inflammatory syndrome in children; NASH, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; NR, not reported.
aIn years unless otherwise indicated.
bAs of June 15, 2020.
cIL6: pg/mL; ferritin: ng/mL; ESR: mm/h; CRP: mg/L; D-dimer: μg/mL.