ArticlePLOS global public health2021
The global burden of tuberculous meningitis in adults: A modelling study.
Article in PLOS global public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
70 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 106 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and Safety of Corticosteroids in Tuberculous Meningitis: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression.Brain and behavior · 2026Pooled it
- Adjunctive linezolid in patients with tuberculous meningitis for the prevention of mortality or neurologic disability: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Pooled it
- High dose of rifampicin in the treatment of tuberculous meningitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- A clinical practice guideline for tuberculous meningitis.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2026Guideline
- Effects of aspirin on stroke and mortality in tubercular meningitis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Diagnostic Prediction Model for Tuberculous Meningitis: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2024Pooled it
- Microbiological diagnosis and mortality of tuberculosis meningitis: Systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Pharmacokinetics of Dexamethasone in Tuberculous Meningitis.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026Trial
- Genotype-stratified adjunctive dexamethasone for tuberculous meningitis in HIV-negative adults: a randomized controlled phase 3 trial.Nature medicine · 2026Trial
- Intensified Treatment of Tuberculous Meningitis in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Open forum infectious diseases · 2025Trial
- Population Pharmacokinetics of Rifampicin in Plasma and Cerebrospinal Fluid in Adults With Tuberculosis Meningitis.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2025Trial
- Risk Factors for Poor Neurological Outcomes at Discharge in Tuberculous Meningitis: Disease Severity, Host Factors, and Drug Therapy.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Article
- Biochemical Markers in Pleural Fluid for the Diagnosis of Tuberculous Pleural Effusion: A Retrospective Study.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Literature Review on HIV-Viruses · 2026Review
- Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling for Postmortem Diagnosis of Tuberculous Meningitis in Zambian Adults.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Intrathecal Isoniazid and Dexamethasone Therapy May Improve Outcomes in Patients With Tuberculous Meningitis: A 2-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026Article
- Host-directed treatments for tuberculous meningitis utilizing a multi-platform approach across mouse and human models.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Concentrations of Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, and Linezolid During Curative Treatment of Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Pre-Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculous Meningitis.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Ischaemia in tuberculous meningitis: update on pathophysiology, clinical predictors and management.Current opinion in infectious diseases · 2026Review
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Hypo-inflammation Drives Mortality in HIV-Associated Tuberculous Meningitis.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2026Article
10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 7 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most lethal form of tuberculosis. The incidence and mortality of TBM is unknown due to diagnostic challenges and limited disaggregated reporting of treated TBM by existing surveillance systems. We aimed to estimate the incidence and mortality of TBM in adults (15+ years) globally. Using national surveillance data from Brazil, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Vietnam, we estimated the fraction of reported tuberculosis that is TBM, and the case fatality ratios for treated TBM in each of these countries. We adjusted these estimates according to findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis and applied them to World Health Organization tuberculosis notifications and estimates to model the global TBM incidence and mortality. Assuming the case detection ratio (CDR) for TBM was the same as all TB, we estimated that in 2019, 164,000 (95% UI; 129,000-199,000) adults developed TBM globally; 23% were among people living with HIV. Almost 60% of incident TBM occurred in males and 20% were in adults 25-34 years old. 70% of global TBM incidence occurred in Southeast Asia and Africa. We estimated that 78,200 (95% UI; 52,300-104,000) adults died of TBM in 2019, representing 48% of incident TBM. TBM case fatality in those treated was on average 27%. Sensitivity analysis assuming improved detection of TBM compared to other forms of TB (CDR odds ratio of 2) reduced estimated global mortality to 54,900 (95% UI; 32,200-77,700); assuming instead worse detection for TBM (CDR odds ratio of 0.5) increased estimated mortality to 125,000 (95% UI; 88,800-161,000). Our results highlight the need for improved routine TBM monitoring, especially in high burden countries. Reducing TBM incidence and mortality will be necessary to achieve the End TB Strategy targets.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.