Comparison of cryptococcal meningitis in HIV-negative patients with and without lung infections

To investigate the clinical features and outcomes of cryptococcal meningitis (CM) in HIV-negative patients with and without lung infections.

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of HIV-negative patients with CM admitted to two university hospitals in Southwest China over the past 5 years.

Seventy-one patients were included, of whom 35 (49.3%) had lung disease. Compared with patients without lung infection, CM patients with lung infection tended to be male and younger (≤30 years), experienced more fever, less vomiting and fewer central nervous system symptoms; more often had low white blood cell (WBC) counts (<20 × 10⁶/L), and fewer often had ethmoid sinusitis, maxillary sinusitis, paranasal sinusitis, and otitis media. Cryptococcus neoformans isolates from these patients were sensitive to itraconazole, voriconazole, fluconazole, and amphotericin B but resistant to flucytosine. CM patients with lung infection had higher mortality at discharge compared with patients without lung infection (8.6% vs. 0%). Multivariable analyses showed that a WBC count <20 × 10⁶/L was significantly associated with poor treatment outcome (odds ratio 0.01, 95% confidence interval 0-0.83).

HIV-negative CM patients with lung infections tended to be male and younger. Fever, fewer central nervous system symptoms, and WBC counts <20 × 10⁶/L were characteristic of this patient group.