Lee et al reported a score that can help distinguish between tuberculous and viral meningitis. The authors are from Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea.
Patient selection: viral vs tuberculous meningitis
Parameters:
(1) hyponatremia (< 135 mmol/L)
(2) CSF LDH concentration in U/L
(3) CSF protein in mg/dL
(4) cranial nerve palsy
(5) voiding difficulty
(6) confusion
Parameter
Finding
Points
hyponatremia
no
0
yes
3
CSF LDH
<= 70 U/L
0
> 70 U/L
3
CSF protein
<= 160 mg/dL
0
> 160 mg/dL
2
cranial nerve palsy
no
0
yes
2
voiding difficulty
no
0
yes
2
confusion
no
0
yes
1
total score =
= SUM(points for all of the parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 13
Total Score
Percent Tuberculous
<= 4
12%
5 or 6
61%
7 to 13
91%
Performance:
• The area under the ROC curve is 0.90.
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