Enzymatic changes in the cerebrospinal fluid in patients with infections of the central nervous system |
| |
| Authors: | I. Lutsar S. Haldre M. Topman T. Talvik |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Institute of General and Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Estonia;2. Departments of Biochemical Laboratory, Tartu University Children's Hospital, Estonia;3. Departments of Pediatrics, Tartu University Children's Hospital, Estonia |
| |
| Abstract: | Enzymatic determinations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), gammaglutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and creatine kinase BB (CK-BB) were performed in 16 patients with aseptic meningitis (AM), in 25 children with bacterial meningitis (BM) and in 15 patients with meningism. The activity of AST and GGT was significantly higher in patients with BM on admission compared with those with AM and meningism (p < 0.05 and p < 0.005, respectively) and decreased with therapy. The highest concentration of AST and LDH appeared in patients with poor outcome as well as in those with ventriculomegaly on neurosonography (p < 0.05). The concentration of CK-BB increased in all patient groups on admission and remained higher on termination of therapy. The present study confirms the high activity of AST and GGT in BM patients in the CSF whereas the increased activity of AST and LDH reflects the extent of brain injury. Nevertheless, the prognosis for individual patients cannot be established on the basis of enzyme activity alone, but depends on several factors.□ |
| |
| Keywords: | Aseptic meningitis aspartate aminotransferase bacterial meningitis cerebrospinal fluid creatine kinase gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase lactic dehydrogenase |
|
|
