A Case Report: Tragic Death in a Young Patient with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Due to Cryptococcal Meningitis

Cryptococcal meningitis is a systemic infection that can be seen in immunosuppressed patients. Altered mental status, somnolence, and obtundation are warning signs of poor prognosis or advanced disease processes. We present a 23-year-old female with a past medical history significant for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) obtained via vertical transmission who presented to the emergency department (ED) with a gradual onset of worsening headache over 10 days, with blurry vision, photophobia, nausea and vomiting, and progressive memory lapses. Her blood tests, chest plain radiograph, and non-contrast brain computed tomography (CT) were normal. In the ED, she developed a fever of 102°F and became more confused and agitated, with interspersed screaming and yelling. A lumbar puncture (LP) showed elevated white blood cell count and was positive for Cryptococcus neoformans; an opening pressure was unable to be obtained due to patient agitation. Despite prompt intravenous antibiotics and antifungal medications, her short, but tenuous hospital course involved declining mental status, requiring intubation and multiple therapeutic lumbar punctures, with an elevated opening pressure of up to 55 cm H2O. The patient suffered global ischemic encephalopathy and died on hospital day two. This case highlights the rapid decompensation of a young immunocompromised patient with cryptococcal meningitis, as well as the importance of early disease management and consultation to neurology and neurosurgery services. An important paradigm difference for emergency medicine (EM) physicians in the management of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients with cryptococcal meningitis is avoiding acetazolamide, mannitol, and steroids and considering the indication for neurosurgical interventions for severe cryptococcal meningitis.