Table 1 Baseline clinical characteristics and laboratory findings in patients with tuberculosis, viral, and bacterial meningitis.

From: The association between serum sodium level and tuberculous meningitis compared with viral and bacterial meningitis

 

TBM

BM

VM

p value

   

n = 295

n = 130

n = 4601

Among three groups

TBM versus BM

BM versus VM

VM versus TBM

Age (year), mean ± SD

44.7 ± 18.6

52.1 ± 18.8

35.6 ± 14.2

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

Female, n (%)

118 (40.0)

56 (43.1)

2295 (49.9)

< 0.001**

0.552

0.126

0.001**

Blood

       

Serum WBC, × 103/μL (n)

9.0 ± 6.1

13.2 ± 11.5

8.7 ± 4.1 (4538)

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

0.728

LDH, U/L (n)

503.8 ± 1078.0 (295)

460.1 ± 268.2 (125)

387.2 ± 627.9 (4505)

0.007**

0.823

0.473

0.013*

Procalcitonin, ng/ml (n)

3.5 ± 16.2 (122)

7.1 ± 19.0 (63)

1.5 ± 9.0 (843)

< 0.001**

0.404

0.056

0.360

HIV Ag/Ab positive, n (%)

1 (0.3%)

0

4 (0.1%)

0.386

   

Initial Na level, mmol/L (n)

136.9 ± 5.9 (295)

138.3 ± 4.7 (130)

139.0 ± 3.1 (4537)

< 0.001**

0.041*

0.264

< 0.001**

Lowest Na level, mmol/L (n)

131.8 ± 6.4 (295)

133.1 ± 5.1 (130)

137.4 ± 3.7 (4537)

< 0.001**

0.061

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

CSF

       

WBC (/μL)

882.0 ± 7161.1 (285)

1276.5 ± 2150.7 (112)

368.5 ± 7797.4 (2797)

0.279

0.786

< 0.001**

0.584

Neutrophil (%)

18.9 ± 27.4

65.5 ± 31.2

15.4 ± 25.6

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

0.198

Lymphocyte (%)

70.8 ± 31.7

21.8 ± 26.5

52.3 ± 40.1

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

Eosinophil (%)

1.0 ± 3.2

0.7 ± 1.2

1.8 ± 7.3

0.427

0.817

0.027

0.305

Monocyte (%)

7.7 ± 11.5

7.9 ± 7.9

7.8 ± 9.6

0.992

0.999

0.999

1.000

Glucose, mg/dL (n)

51.9 ± 23.5 (280)

55.8 ± 40.9 (105)

62.2 ± 24.8 (2762)

< 0.001**

0.363

0.114

< 0.001**

LDH, U/L (n)

229.8 ± 1262.9 (272)

225.0 ± 389.9 (98)

61.5 ± 249.0 (2706)

< 0.001**

1.000

< 0.001**

0.085

Protein, mg/dl (n)

306.6 ± 795.7 (283)

240.1 ± 266.9 (112)

78.8 ± 244.0 (2798)

< 0.001**

0.516

< 0.001**

< 0.001**

CSF tuberculosis culture, positive rate, n (%)

35/279 (12.5)

0/61 (0)

1/1112 (0.1)

    

CSF tuberculosis PCR, positive rate, n (%)

30/262 (11.4)

0/75 (0)

1/1515 (0.1)

    

Xpert® MTB/RIF, positive rate, n (%)

29/215 (13.5)

0/60 (0)

0/1322 (0)

    

CSF VZV PCR, positive rate, n (%)

2/56 (3.6)

0/19 (0)

45/359 (12.5)

    

Mortality at 90 days, n (%)

27 (9.2)

19 (14.6)

61 (1.3)

< 0.001**

   
  1. BM, bacterial meningitis; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; TBM, meningitis; VM, viral meningitis; VZV, varicella-zoster virus; WBC, white blood cells.
  2. All scores are shown as percent, n value, or mean (SD).
  3. (n): number of patients who underwent the test.
  4. Analyses were performed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent sample t-test, Fisher’s exact test, or χ2 test.
  5. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01.
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