ABSTRACT
A total of 148 patients with a diagnosis of HIV infection were studied in order to evaluate the incidence of meningeal cryptococcosis, including epidemic, immunologic and diagnostic characteristics. The diagnosis of cryptococcosis was carried out by direct examination with India ink and culture in Sabouraud agar of CSF in 28 patients (93.3) and by blood cultures (lysis-centrifugation) in 2 patients (6.6). All the isolated strains were identified as Cryptococcus neoformans. The incidence was 20.3 (30 patients). The preponderant risk behavior was endovenous drug addiction, and it was observed in 18 patients (60). The symptomatology that prevailed was headache (87). The median age was 28 years. At diagnosis, the immunologic impairment was severe (CD4+ lymphocyte count < 200) in 90 of patients. We found that 86.7 of patients had not completed their primary studies and only 13.3 had completed secondary studies. Although the acute mortality was high (36.7), it was observed that all the patients who survived (24) had been treated with anti-retroviral drugs.