Clinical characteristics of neurocysticercosis from a reference hospital of the northern of Peru. 2016-2018

Abstract

Backgound: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the most common parasitosis of the central nervous system, and a very important cause of epilepsy. Aim: To describe the clinical features of patients with NCC attending a high level hospital from Lambayeque during: 2016-2018. Methods: The medical records of patients with NCC were reviewed, and their information was collected on a data sheet. Results: 46 stories met the inclusion criteria; 23 patients were male, the median age was 46.5 years (IQR: 26.5-63), the youngest patient was 7 years old, and the longest 85. Thirty patients were from Lambayeque. Epilepsy occurred in 24 patients, intracranial hypertension in 10, psychic syndrome in 2 and focal neurological deficit and visual syndrome in 1; there was one asymptomatic patient and seven had epilepsy and another syndrome. In neuroimaging, cerebral calcifications were the most common lesions; 9 patients had subarachnoid cysts. Serology (western blot) was performed in 20 patients being positive in 11; 38 were definitive NCC and 8 probable. Eighteen patients received only symptomatic treatment, 27 antiparasitic treatment and 6, additionally neurosurgical treatment. Only one patient died. Conclusions: The symptoms and neuroimaging findings were proteiform and the mortality found was low.