Corticosteroid in tuberculous meningitis.

We assessed the benefit of prednisolone regimen in adult-patients with tuberculous meningitis by a randomised, double-blind trial. 59 patients were treated with combined antituberculous drugs and randomised to receive oral prednisolone regimen or a placebo. There were 29 and 30 patients in the treatment and placebo groups respectively. The results revealed that prednisolone was not beneficial in patients with severe brain lesions, increased intracranial pressure and cranial nerve palsies. The role of prednisolone in patients with paraparesis, visual impairment and newly developed neurological complications during treatment needs further study.