clinical features
Last reviewed 01/2018
The disease onset is usually insidious over a few weeks. The disease can present with (1):
- nonspecific systemic symptoms
- when the disease is due to miliary TB
- focal neurological signs
- when the disease is limited to the brain
Early symptoms include (2) :
- malaise
- headache
- fever
- personality change
Late symptoms ( in two to three weeks) include (2):
- protracted headache
- meningismus
- vomiting
- confusion
- focal neurologic findings
If untreated, mental status may deteriorate into stupor or coma.
Atypical presentations of tuberculous meningitis include:
- a rapid progression simillar to pyogenic meningitis
- subtle reduction in cognitive functions
- a predominant syndrome of encephalitis.
Seizures can occur at any stage of the disease.
Infants may present as (1) :
- poor feeding
- failure to thrive
Reference: