TUBERCULOUS MENINGITIS
Meningeal infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the
example par excellence of a form of meningitis where
difficulties in diagnosis and management regularly occur.
The fact remains that there is still no single diagnostic
method which is both sufficiently rapid and sensitive.
Inevitably, therefore, many patients will receive anti-tuberculous
chemotherapy without a confirmed diagnosis. The
physician must balance the risks of delaying treatment
against those of major side effects of medication, notably
hepatotoxicity.
The initial clinical and laboratory picture of tuberculous
meningitis (TBM) is relatively non-specific, resembling many