[Tuberculous meningitis: a disease in regression in our country?]

Our aim was to analyse clinical, diagnostic, therapeutical and evolutionary features in a pediatric population with tuberculous meningitis.

The medical records of thirteen children with this diagnosis admitted to Hospital Infantil Virgen del Rocío from Seville (Spain) between 1984 and 1999 were reviewed.

The mean age was 2,35 +/- 2,3 years. The symptoms upon admission were: fever in 11 children, anorexia and vomiting in 8, disturbance of the consciousness in 7. Meningeal signs in 6, all of them older than 20 months, the remaining seven showed irritability and four of these ones hypertense fontanelles. Three patients were in the first stage of the disease, 9 in the second and 1 in the third, according to the Medical Research Council. CSF findings were indicative in all the cases. Five children had bacilloscopy positive and Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated in 6 patients, sometimes in CSF others in gastric juice. Mantoux skin test was positive in 11. Radiographic studies demonstrated abnormal chest findings in 8 patients (hiliar adenopathy, 1; miliary pattern, 2; and infiltrates, 5). Pathology cranial computed tomography showed in all the cases and the electroencephalogram was slowed down in the initial phases in 11. Two children died and the neurological complications were the most frequent, appearing in 9 patients. Without consequences cured 4 patients, the rest presented cognitive, visual and motor deficits, sensibility skin disturbance and late seizures. No case has been observed during the last 5 years.

Fast diagnosis tests used for M. tuberculosis identification were useful to begin an antituberculous treatment in a high suspicion of meningeal affectation by this German patient. The early treatment will decrease complications and consequences by this disease. A decrease in the incidence looks to be in spite of the VIH infection increase nowadays.