RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Cryptococcus neoformans is a common opportunistic infection in adults with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome worldwide. However, limited data exist for HIV-infected patients in the post-HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) era in Brazil. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of cryptococcosis in a cohort of patients attending a teaching tertiary care hospital in southern Brazil after the introduction of HAART in Brazil. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in tertiary care hospital in southern Brazil. Detailed data on risk factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis methods, treatment, and prognosis of patients with meningeal cryptococcosis were evaluated from January 2009 to December 2016. RESULTS: Seventy-nine cases of cryptococcal meningitis were identified. Most of the patients presented positive CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) cultures for Cryptococcus neoformans (96%). The prevalence of males and females with meningeal cryptococcosis was similar. The age of the patients ranged from 5 to 67 years. The median time of hospitalization was 28 days. The most common underlying disease was HIV (82%), followed by solid transplant (10%). Fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, and altered mental status were the most common clinical manifestations. Initial opening intracranial pressures varied from 30 to 130 cm H2O. CNS imaging abnormalities include hydrocephalus and hypodensities. Widened Virchow-Robin spaces were described in only 2 patients (2.5%). Induction treatment of the majority of the patients consisted of amphotericin B and flucytosine (67%) followed by amphotericin B and fluconazole (19%). Multivariate analysis of Cox regression identified headache at presentation, mechanical ventilation, CSF glucose <20 mg/dL, and CSF cryptococcal antigen ≥1 : 1000 for independent risk factors for death. All-cause 30-day and 60-day mortalities were 19% and 24%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Meningeal cryptococcosis mostly caused by C. neoformans continues to occur predominantly in HIV-infected adults despite HAART being widely distributed in Brazil. Cryptococcosis remains a significant opportunistic infection in solid organ transplant recipients. Despite adequate antifungal treatment and management of intracranial hypertension in a reference tertiary care hospital, mortality was high. Identification of risk factors and additional treatment modalities, especially for intracranial hypertension, are necessary to improve care for patients with cryptococcal meningitis.
RESUMEN
Introducción: la tuberculosis es una enfermedad con una alta prevalencia en los países en vías de desarrollo. Entre los casos de tuberculosis extrapulmonar, la tuberculosis genitourinaria es común y esta situación se acentúa en los pacientes con sida. Objetivo: describir las características clínicas de un paciente que presentó tuberculosis genitourinaria detectada mediante el empleo de la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa. Presentación del caso: paciente masculino de 34 años de edad, seropositivo al virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana desde 2004, con antecedentes de tuberculosis pulmonar, que ingresa en junio de 2014 en el Hospital del Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kourí refiriendo fiebre de alrededor de dos meses de duración, intermitente, vespertina, acompañada de sudoraciones profusas y pérdida de peso importante. Además, se constata la presencia de disuria desde el comienzo de la fiebre. Recibió varios tratamientos con antibióticos sin respuesta. Se detecta Mycobacterium tuberculosis en la orina del paciente mediante la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa. Tres meses después, es reevaluado y se encuentra afebril, con aumento de peso, evolución clínica favorable y continúa con la primera fase de tratamiento anti-tuberculosis. Conclusiones: el evento ocurrido en este caso sugiere que los facultativos deben pensar en el diagnóstico de la tuberculosis genitourinaria en los pacientes con sida(AU)
Introduction: Tuberculosis is highly prevalent in developing countries. Genitourinary tuberculosis is a common type of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, particularly in AIDS patients. Objective: Describe the clinical characteristics of a patient with genitourinary tuberculosis detected by polymerase chain reaction.Case presentation: A male 34 year-old patient seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus since the year 2004 and a history of pulmonary tuberculosis is admitted in 2014 to the hospital at Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute. The patient had had intermittent vespertine fever for about two months as well as profuse sweating and considerable weight loss. Dysuria had also been present since the onset of fever. The patient had received several antibiotic treatments with no response. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected in the patient's urine by polymerase chain reaction. Re-evaluation performed three months later found that the patient was afebrile, had gained weight and his clinical evolution was favorable. The patient continues at the first stage of tuberculosis treatment.Conclusions: The event described suggests that physicians should consider genitourinary tuberculosis in their evaluation of AIDS patients(AU)
Asunto(s)
Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa/métodos , Anomalías Urogenitales/diagnóstico , Mycobacterium tuberculosisRESUMEN
Introducción: la tuberculosis es una enfermedad con una alta prevalencia en los países en vías de desarrollo. Entre los casos de tuberculosis extrapulmonar, la tuberculosis genitourinaria es común y esta situación se acentúa en los pacientes con sida. Objetivo: describir las características clínicas de un paciente que presentó tuberculosis genitourinaria detectada mediante el empleo de la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa. Presentación del caso: paciente masculino de 34 años de edad, seropositivo al virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana desde 2004, con antecedentes de tuberculosis pulmonar, que ingresa en junio de 2014 en el Hospital del Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kourí refiriendo fiebre de alrededor de dos meses de duración, intermitente, vespertina, acompañada de sudoraciones profusas y pérdida de peso importante. Además, se constata la presencia de disuria desde el comienzo de la fiebre. Recibió varios tratamientos con antibióticos sin respuesta. Se detecta Mycobacterium tuberculosis en la orina del paciente mediante la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa. Tres meses después, es reevaluado y se encuentra afebril, con aumento de peso, evolución clínica favorable y continúa con la primera fase de tratamiento anti-tuberculosis. Conclusiones: el evento ocurrido en este caso sugiere que los facultativos deben pensar en el diagnóstico de la tuberculosis genitourinaria en los pacientes con sida(AU)
Introduction: tuberculosis is highly prevalent in developing countries. Genitourinary tuberculosis is a common type of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, particularly in AIDS patients. Objective: describe the clinical characteristics of a patient with genitourinary tuberculosis detected by polymerase chain reaction. Case presentation: amale 34 year-old patient seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus since the year 2004 and a history of pulmonary tuberculosis is admitted in 2014 to the hospital at Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute. The patient had had intermittent vespertine fever for about two months as well as profuse sweating and considerable weight loss. Dysuria had also been present since the onset of fever. The patient had received several antibiotic treatments with no response. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected in the patient's urine by polymerase chain reaction. Re-evaluation performed three months later found that the patient was afebrile, had gained weight and his clinical evolution was favorable. The patient continues at the first stage of tuberculosis treatment. Conclusions: the event described suggests that physicians should consider genitourinary tuberculosis in their evaluation of AIDS patients(AU)
