Medical Mycology: Open Access

Epidemiology and Clinical Characteristics of Cryptococcal Meningitis in China (1981-2013): A Review of the Literature

Most of patients with cryptococcal meningitis in China were not HIV victims. Profile of the diseases in patients with non-HIV infection was poorly understood. We summarized the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of cryptococcal meningitis in China. A comprehensive analysis of the reported cases of cryptococcal meningitis in China was conducted, covering publications from 1981 to 2013 from CNKI database. Among the 306 reports and 6514 cases about cryptococcal meningitis, there were 21% patients with HIV infection, 39% with other underlying diseases and 40% without underlying diseases. Main underlying diseases in non-HIV/AIDS patients were tuberculosis (10.46%), liver disease (9.83%), systemic lupus erythematosus (7.00%), diabetes (5.26%), kidney disease (3.16%), lung disease (2.97%), and cancer (2.01%). About 60.8% cases were reported in males. From 1981-2013 total patients of cryptococcal meningitis were increased. Patients who received treatment of amphotericin B (AmB) with 5-flucytosine, AmB with Fluconazole, and the combination of AmB+5-FU+FCZ were 495, 411, 266 persons (total 1501 cases) and got a total efficiency of 70.1%, 70.8%, and 74.8% respectively. The survival rate of cryptococcal meningitis patients without HIV infection is higher than those with HIV infection (p<0.05). The result shows that most patients of cryptococcal meningitis have underlying diseases and there is a connection between cryptococcal meningitis and immunodeficiency in China.

Author(s):

Zhu Li, Yongquan Liu, Hong Cao, Shenghe Huang and Min Long

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