[A case of tuberculous meningitis associated with persistently reduced CD4+ T lymphocyte counts]

A case history is presented of a 35-year-old man admitted to the hospital with tuberculous meningitis complicated by caseous necrosis of cervical lymph nodes and thrombosis of the left jugular vein. Another complication, malignant brain edema, appeared more than one year after discharge from hospital and was managed at the neurosurgery department. The most probable cause was a post-inflammatory obstruction of the cerebrospinal fluid pathways. A challenging finding, observed repeatedly while in hospital and at follow ups after discharge, was medium significant CD4+ T cell lymphopenia, with the lowest CD4+ T cell count of 308 cells/μl of peripheral blood. For this reason, the patient was screened several times for anti-HIV antibodies, but always with a negative result. Active tuberculous infection was considered as another possible reason behind persistent CD4+ T cell lymphopenia. However, imaging and laboratory analyses were not suggestive of tuberculosis. The patient is currently in good condition and his CD4+ T lymphocyte counts returned to normal at seven years of follow-up. It is underlined that patients after tuberculous meningitis need a long-term follow-up.