Neurocysticercosis: a study of 177 cases from São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

NEUROCYSTICERCOSIS: A STUDY OF 177 CASES FROM SÃO JOSÉ DO RIO PRETO, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL (ABSTRACT)^*. DISSERTATION . SÃO JOSÉ DO RIO PRETO, 1999.

MARIA ADRIANA MARETTI^**

A hundred seventy seven neurocysticercosis patients were evaluated according to their epidemiological aspects: clinical presentation, computerized tomography of the skull (CT), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

The disease was present in 1.1% of all patients examined from July 1992 to April 1998 at the out-patient clinic of the Department of Neurology of the Hospital de Base, Regional Medical School of São José do Rio Preto. Most of the patients were from the city of São José do Rio Preto, mostly from the urban area (89%), equally divided between men and women, in age group 20 to 39 years old (53.2%).

The most frequent clinical presentation was epilepsy (58.2%), followed by: headache as an isolated symptom (17.5%), intracranial hypertension (14.1%), meningitis (8%) and other combined forms (2.2%).

CSF exam showed to be effective in neurocysticercosis diagnosis due to ELISA and immunofluorescence positive tests in 37.3% and 31% of the cases, respectively. CSF hypercytosis was present in 31.6% of the cases, with eosinophil cells in 26.5%.

Most of time, CSF findings were simultaneously related to CT active forms of neurocysticercosis. The most frequent isolated CT finding was presence of brain intraparenchymal calcifications (48%).

However, in the whole, active forms of neurocysticercosis were detected in 52% of the cases. This number characterizes the disease neglect in our environment. Also, it should be an allert in taking immediate preventive measures towards the disease control.

KEYWORDS: neurocysticercosis, cerebrospinal fluid, cranial CT scan, epilepsy.

**Address: Rua Siqueira Campos 2261, 15010-210 São José do Rio Preto SP. E-mail: [e-mail]

*

Neurocisticercose: estudo de 177 pacientes da região de São José do Rio Preto SP (Resumo). Dissertação de Mestrado, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (Área: Biologia Médica). Orientador: Osvaldo Massaiti Takayanagui.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  03 Apr 2000
• Date of issue
  Dec 1999