Risk Factors for Stroke in Children with Tuberculous Meningitis: A Prospective Observational Study

The purpose of the study is to establish the prevalence of stroke as well as the clinical and radiological correlates of stroke in children with tuberculous meningitis (TBM).

A prospective observational study was conducted at the Pediatric Department, King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Using a computed tomography (CT) scan/brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), patients were divided into stroke and non-stroke groups. Demographic characteristics, clinical presentations, cerebrospinal fluid examination, basal meningeal enhancement, hydrocephalus, tuberculoma, and clinical outcome were compared between the two groups.

Seventy-eight TBM patients, aged between 6 months and 14 years, were included. Out of 78 enrolled patients, 3 (3.8%) had definite TBM, 73 (91%) had probable TBM, and 4 (5.1%) had possible TBM (LCS). As per the Medical Research Council (MRC) staging, 13% had Stage 1 TBM, 26% had stage 2, and 61% had stage 3 TBM. Out of 78 patients with chest X-ray findings, 42 (53%) had findings suggestive of tuberculosis (TB), which included 33 (42%) with hilar lymphadenopathy and 9 (11%) with a miliary pattern. On neuroimaging, hydrocephalous was seen in 62.8% of cases, basal meningeal enhancement in 64.1%, tuberculoma in 6.4% of cases, and infarction in 53.8% of cases. There was no statistically significant association found between the staging of TBM and the presence of infarction as the majority of cases involved were in stage 3 of the disease (61.5%). TBM patients with stroke had poor clinical outcomes.

Age, altered sensorium, focal neurological deficits, vomiting, and basal meningeal enhancement can predict the occurrence of stroke in young adults with TBM.