The Re-emergence of a Forgotten Disease: Neurobrucellosis
, Makram Koubaa, Amal Chakroun, Fatma Smaoui, Emna Elleuch, Chakib Marrakchi, Mounir Ben Jemaa- DOI
- 10.2991/dsahmj.k.201010.001How to use a DOI?
- Keywords
- Brucella; neurobrucellosis; meningitis; magnetic resonance imaging
- Abstract
Brucellosis may present with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Neurobrucellosis (NB), an uncommon but a serious complication, may occur at any stage of the disease. We aimed to evaluate the clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic, and evolutionary features of NB. We conducted a retrospective study including all patients hospitalized for neurobrucellosis in the infectious diseases department between 1994 and 2018. The diagnosis was based on the association of neurological symptoms with bacteriological and/or serological confirmation of brucellosis in blood or Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF). There were 16 patients (10 male) with NB. The median (range) age was 35 (24–48) years. The revealing symptoms were fever (n = 15), headache (n = 12), and vomiting (n = 9). CSF analysis showed lymphocytic pleocytosis (n = 9) and a high level of protein (n = 10). Brucella was isolated from the blood and CSF in two and five cases, respectively. All patients had a positive Brucella serological test. Eleven patients received rifampicin, doxycycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The median (range) duration of treatment was 4.5 (3–5.3) months. The disease evolution was favorable in 13 cases. Sequelae were noted in one case. Two patients died. In cases of unusual neurological disorders, NB should be considered, especially in endemic areas. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are crucial in order to avoid serious complications and sequelae.
- Copyright
- © 2020 Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group. Publishing services by Atlantis Press International B.V.
- Open Access
- This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
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TY - JOUR AU - Khaoula Rekik AU - Fatma Hammami AU - Makram Koubaa AU - Amal Chakroun AU - Fatma Smaoui AU - Emna Elleuch AU - Chakib Marrakchi AU - Mounir Ben Jemaa PY - 2020 DA - 2020/10/16 TI - The Re-emergence of a Forgotten Disease: Neurobrucellosis JO - Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Journal SP - 190 EP - 195 VL - 2 IS - 4 SN - 2590-3349 UR - https://doi.org/10.2991/dsahmj.k.201010.001 DO - 10.2991/dsahmj.k.201010.001 ID - Rekik2020 ER -