Clinical presentations and outcomes of the children with tuberculous meningitis: An experience at a tertiary care hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical presentations and outcomes of the children suffering from tuberculous meningitis.

METHODS: This prospective, descriptive study was conducted at the Children's Hospital and the Institute of Child Health, Multan, Pakistan, from February to December 2015. The Pakistan Paediatric Association scoring chart for tuberculosis was used as a tool for the probable diagnosis. The clinical symptoms with their durations were noted. Clinical stages of tuberculous meningitis, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and computerised tomography brain findings were noted for each patient. The outcomes in the form of death or neurological disabilities at the time of hospital discharge were noted. SPSS 19 was used for data analysis.

RESULTS: Of the 40 participants, 25(62.5%) were males and 15(37.5%) were females. The mean age of the patients was 4.24±3.32 years. Besides, 26(65%) patients were less than 5 years of age. All the patients (100%) were categorised as stage 3 tuberculous meningitis. The history of prolonged duration of fever 39(97.55%) and altered level of sensorium 40(100%) were the most common clinical presentations. Moreover, 2(5%) patients died during this study. All the 38(95%) survivors had neurological disabilities. There were motor deficits in 37(97.4%) patients, altered level of sensorium in 35(92%), cranial nerve palsies in 9(23.5%), epilepsy in 29(76.3%) and hydrocephalus in 32(84%) patients.

CONCLUSIONS: The children were the most vulnerable group for the worst form of tuberculous meningitis and had a grave outcome.