Ke Michael, Ettefagh Neeki, Topbas Ahmet Semih, Kazemi Mehdi
Southwest Healthcare Medical Education Consortium, Temecula, CA, USA.
J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep. 2025 Jan-Dec;13:23247096251334235. doi: 10.1177/23247096251334235. Epub 2025 Apr 25.
Cryptococcal meningitis is mainly seen in immunocompromised patients, but in recent years, there has been an increase in cases involving patients with no known immunodeficiencies. These patients have symptomatic presentations that range from indolent and mild to typical and severe. We present a case of cryptococcal meningitis in an immunocompetent young patient with a chronic headache. The patient underwent imaging which showed diffuse leptomeningeal enhancement and a lumbar puncture which confirmed . She underwent guideline-based treatment for cryptococcal meningitis and improved clinically. Cryptococcal meningitis should be considered in immunocompetent patients who present with typical signs of symptoms of meningitis, particularly chronic headaches and altered mental status.
隐球菌性脑膜炎主要见于免疫功能低下的患者，但近年来，无已知免疫缺陷的患者病例有所增加。这些患者的症状表现从隐匿和轻微到典型和严重不等。我们报告一例免疫功能正常的年轻慢性头痛患者发生隐球菌性脑膜炎的病例。患者接受了影像学检查，显示软脑膜弥漫性强化，腰椎穿刺确诊。她接受了基于指南的隐球菌性脑膜炎治疗，临床症状有所改善。对于出现脑膜炎典型体征和症状，尤其是慢性头痛和精神状态改变的免疫功能正常患者，应考虑隐球菌性脑膜炎。
