Cryptococcal Meningitis

Introduction: Cryptococcal Meningitis

Cryptococcal Meningitis: Cryptococcal meningitis is a life-threatening infection of the membranes (meninges) that line the brain and spinal cord. Cryptococcal ... more about Cryptococcal Meningitis.

Cryptococcal Meningitis: Fungal form of meningitis. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Cryptococcal Meningitis is available below.

Symptoms of Cryptococcal Meningitis

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headache

See full list of 9 symptoms of Cryptococcal Meningitis

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Cryptococcal Meningitis:

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• Liver Health: Home Testing
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Medical Textbooks Online about Cryptococcal Meningitis

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Cryptococcal Meningitis

• Blood test
• Spinal fluid test

Read more about tests for Cryptococcal Meningitis

Wrongly Diagnosed with Cryptococcal Meningitis?

• Misdiagnosis of Cryptococcal Meningitis
• Underlying causes of Cryptococcal Meningitis (possibly wrongly diagnosed)

Misdiagnosis and Cryptococcal Meningitis

Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be misdiagnosed. The best known, irritable bowel syndrome,...read more »

Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness because he suffered from sudden inability to speak. This was initially...read more »

Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called ...read more »

Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely to cause some level of diarrhea in patients. The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria, but can also kill...read more »

Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning). In fact, it's more likely to be an infectious...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions, such as a stroke or ...read more »

Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain,...read more »

Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms of severe brain injury are hard to miss, it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those causing a mild ...read more »

MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked. This is...read more »

Brain pressure condition often misdiagnosed as dementia: A condition that results from an excessive pressure of CSF within the brain is often misdiagnosed. It may be misdiagnosed...read more »

Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption disorder with a variety of symptoms (see symptoms of...read more »

Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their return. A variety of symptoms can occur...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines can also occur in children. See ...read more »

Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases. Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon cancer, ...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Cryptococcal Meningitis

Causes of Cryptococcal Meningitis

• AIDS - about 10% of AIDS patients get Cryptococcal Meningitis
• Immune-suppression

Read more about causes of Cryptococcal Meningitis

More information about causes of Cryptococcal Meningitis:

• Underlying causes of Cryptococcal Meningitis
• Cryptococcal Meningitis as a complication caused by other conditions
• Cryptococcal Meningitis as a symptom

Treatments for Cryptococcal Meningitis

• Amphotericin B
• Flucytosine
• Fluconazole

Read more about treatments for Cryptococcal Meningitis

Videos for Cryptococcal Meningitis

Patient Surveys for Cryptococcal Meningitis

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• Survey about the symptoms of your Cryptococcal Meningitis
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Reseach about Cryptococcal Meningitis

Visit our research pages for current research about Cryptococcal Meningitis treatments.

Clinical Trials for Cryptococcal Meningitis

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Cryptococcal Meningitis include:

• Safety and Antifungal Activity of Recombinant Interferon-Gamma 1b (rIFN-Gamma 1b) Given With Standard Therapy in Patients With Cryptococcal Meningitis - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Itraconazole,Flucytosine,Fluconazole,Amphotericin B,Interferon gamma-1b
• A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Assess Mycograb for Cryptococcal Meningitis - This study is not yet open for patient recruitment (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Amphotericin B, 5FC, Mycograb
• Amphotericin Alone or in Combination With Fluconazole for AIDS-Associated Meningitis - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Amphotericin B,Fluconazole
• A Randomized Double Blind Protocol Comparing Amphotericin B With Flucytosine to Amphotericin B Alone Followed by a Comparison of Fluconazole and Itraconazole in the Treatment of Acute Cryptococcal Meningitis - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Itraconazole,Flucytosine,Fluconazole,Amphotericin B
• SCH 39304 as Therapy for Acute Cryptococcal Meningitis in HIV-Infected Patients Followed by Maintenance Therapy - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - SCH 39304

See full list of 20 Clinical Trials for Cryptococcal Meningitis

Statistics for Cryptococcal Meningitis

• Medical statistics for Cryptococcal Meningitis
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Cryptococcal Meningitis
• Death and Mortality statistics for Cryptococcal Meningitis
• Society statistics for Cryptococcal Meningitis

Stories from Users Related to Cryptococcal Meningitis

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Article Excerpts about Cryptococcal Meningitis

Cryptococcal meningitis is a life-threatening infection of the membranes (meninges) that line the brain and spinal cord. Cryptococcal disease is caused by a fungus. Most people have been exposed to this organism, which is found in soil contaminated by bird droppings, but it usually does not cause disease in healthy people. The majority of people with cryptococcal meningitis have immune systems that are damaged by disease, such as AIDS, or suppressed by drugs. The organism can infect almost all organs in the body, although it most commonly causes disease of the meninges, skin, or lungs. (Source: excerpt from Cryptococcal Meningitis, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)