Comparative Analysis Between Tuberculous Meningitis and Other Forms of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis

Introduction: Tuberculosis is a multisystem disease that may affect any organ or tissue. Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most severe form of tuberculosis and commonly affects the brain. We aimed to study the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary features of TBM among adults and to compare them with other forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study including all patients hospitalized for extrapulmonary tuberculosis in the infectious disease department in Sfax, Tunisia between 1993 and 2018. We specified the particularities of TBM cases, and we compared them with other extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases. Results: We encountered 78 patients diagnosed with TBM, among 519 patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis (15%). The median age was 36 years (23–50) years. There were 44 females (56.4%). In comparison with other forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, fever [odds ratio (OR) = 4.4; p < 0.001], asthenia (OR = 3.4; p < 0.001) and anorexia (OR = 2.3; p = 0.001) were significantly more frequent in TBM patients. Adverse effects of antitubercular therapy were more frequent among TBM patients (OR = 3.1; p < 0.001). The mean duration of antitubercular therapy was 15 (12–20) months. Recovery occurred in 66 cases (84.6%), complications in 44 cases (56.4%) and death in 7 cases (9%). Comparison of the disease evolution showed that complications (OR = 7.4; p < 0.001) and mortality rates (OR = 10.7; p < 0.001) were significantly more frequent in TBM patients, while recovery was significantly more frequent in other sites of extrapulmonary tuberculosis patients (OR = 0.5; p = 0.02). Conclusions: In our country, TBM remains a disabling disease. Despite antitubercular therapy, the prognosis was more severe with the occurrence of not only complications but also a high mortality rate in comparison with other forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. When clinical and laboratory features suggest the diagnosis of TBM, clinicians should look for tuberculosis elsewhere in the body.