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Meningitis - tuberculous - Overview

Alternative Names

Tubercular meningitis; TB meningitis

Definition of Meningitis - tuberculous:

Tuberculous meningitis is an infection of the the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord (meninges).

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Tuberculous meningitis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. The bacteria spreads to the brain from another site in the body.

Risk factors include a history of:

AIDS
Excessive alcohol use
Other disorders that compromise the immune system
Pulmonary tuberculosis

Tuberculous meningitis is a very rare disorder.

Central nervous system

Reviewed last on: 9/28/2008
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Swartz MN. Meningitis: bacterial, viral, and other. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 437.

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