Cognitive impairment in patients with central nervous system tuberculosis

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) in Mexico remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality; in the past 4 years, 110,681 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and 1571 cases of tuberculous meningitis were reported. Objective To determine the neurocognitive sequelae, clinical presentation and neuroimaging alterations in patients with central nervous system tuberculosis. Methods A retrospective, analytical, and cross-sectional study was carried out from 2010 to 2019. Patients with central nervous system tuberculosis, with and without HIV/AIDS coinfection, were included. Results During the study period, 104 cases with a definitive or probable central nervous system tuberculosis diagnosis were included; 38% had HIV/AIDS coinfection, and 55%, various comorbidities (p = 0.0001); 49% had cognitive alterations, and 14% died. Conclusions Although HIV/AIDS infection can contribute to cognitive decline in patients with tuberculous meningitis, no differences were observed between patients with and without HIV/AIDS. Cognitive sequelae showed improvement during follow-up with adequate management and therapeutic control of the patients.