Title
Natural history of treated subarachnoid neurocysticercosis
Date Issued
01 January 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
National Institutes of Health
Publisher(s)
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Abstract
Subarachnoid neurocysticercosis (SUBNCC) is usually caused by an aberrant proliferative form of Taenia solium causing mass effect and arachnoiditis. Thirty of 34 SUBNCC patients were treated with extended cysticidal and anti-inflammatory regimens and followed up a median of 4.2 years posttreatment (range: 15 for 3 4 years, 20 3 2 years, 26 > 1 year, and 3 < 1 year). The median ages at the time of first symptom, diagnosis, and enrollment were 29.7, 35.6, and 37.9 years, respectively; 58.8% were male and 82.4% were Hispanic. The median time from immigration to symptoms (minimum incubation) was 10 years and the estimated true incubation period considerably greater. Fifty percent also had other forms of NCC. Common complications were hydrocephalus (56%), shunt placement (41%), infarcts (18%), and symptomatic spinal disease (15%). Thirty patients (88.2%) required prolonged treatment with albendazole (88.2%, median 0.55 year) and/or praziquantel (61.8%; median 0.96 year), corticosteroids (88.2%, median 1.09 years), methotrexate (50%, median 1.37 years), and etanercept (34.2%, median 0.81 year), which led to sustained inactive disease in 29/30 (96.7%) patients. Three were treated successfully for recurrences and one has continuing infection. Normalization of cerebral spinal fluid parameters and cestode antigen levels guided treatment decisions. All 15 patients with undetectable cestode antigen values have sustained inactive disease. There were no deaths and moderate morbidity posttreatment. Corticosteroid-related side effects were common, avascular necrosis of joints being the most serious (8/33, 24.2%). Prolonged cysticidal treatment and effective control of inflammation led to good clinical outcomes and sustained inactive disease which is likely curative.
Start page
78
End page
89
Volume
102
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Neurología clínica
Enfermedades infecciosas
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85077762268
PubMed ID
Source
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
ISSN of the container
00029637
Sponsor(s)
We thank the clinical administrative team of the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases and acknowledge and thank Thomas Nutman for developing the Luminex-based cestode antigen assay and testing CSF samples.
Financial support: This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Authors’ addresses: Theodore E. Nash, Elise M. O’Connell, Lauren Wetzler, JeanAnne M. Ware, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, E-mails: tnash@niaid.nih.gov, elise.o’connell@ niaid.nih.gov, lauren.wetzler@niaid.nih.gov, and jeananne.ware@niaid. nih.gov. Dima A. Hammoud, Diagnostic Radiology Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, E-mail: hammoudd@cc.nih.gov. Siddhartha Mahanty, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, and The Victorian Infectious Diseases Service (VIDS), The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia, E-mail: siddhartha.mahanty@unimelb.edu.au.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus