Current aspects of neuromeningeal cryptococcosis in adults infected with HIV in the internal medicine service of the University Hospital of Treichville Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire)

To determine the prevalence of neuromeningeal cryptococcosis (NMC) and reporting sociodemographic, clinical, paraclinical aspects and outcome of patients. It was a retrospective study concerning 22 HIV positive patients hospitalized between 2006 to and 2009 in the internal medicine service of University Hospital of Treichville for NMC. The prevalence of NMC in patients infected with HIV was 0.6%. The mean age was 35±4.5 years old. The sex-ratio was 0.5. The average time evolution of the symptomatology was 10±2.1 days. The installation of the disease was progressive (86.4%). The main signs were fever (100%) and headache (95.4%). The cerebrospinal fluid was inflammatory aspect (95.4%) with low glucose (91%), hyper lymphocytosis(100%). There were Cryptococcus neoformans in direct exam by China ink (72.7%) and culture on Sabouraud (100%). Treatment was injectable amphoterin B in monotherapy (54.5%) followed by fluconazole per os (45.5%). The mortality was 54.5%. This study shows a reduction of NMC prevalence in our service in relation with tritherapy.