Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis:- Part 4 – Summary of CSF findings In Various Diseases

August 29, 2023CSF Lab Tests

Summary of CSF findings In Various Diseases

Cerebrospinal fluid analysis is a diagnostic of various diseases. Various diseases of the central nervous system can be diagnosed by examining CSF.
Take aspirated CSF in three test tubes.

Summary of CSF findings In Various Diseases: CSF collected into three test tubes

Summary of CSF findings In Various Diseases: CSF collected into three test tubes

Summary of CSF findings In Various Diseases (meningitis):

Clinical conditions	Appearance of CSF	Cell count of CSF	Total proteins in CSF	Other related tests
Cryptococcal meningitis	Clear or turbid	50 to 150 polys or lymphocytes	25 to 200 mg/dL	The positive India ink test Cryptococcal antigen
Leptospiral meningitis	Clear to slightly hazy	5 to 100 lymphocytes	50 to 100 mg/dL	H/O visit a tropical country Contact with animal urine
Poliomyelitis	Clear or colorless	cells up to 500 lymphocytes	10 to 300 mg/dL	Positive PCR for poliovirus in CSF
Encephalitis	Clear or slightly hazy	cells up to 500 lymphocytes	15 to 100 mg/dL	Normal glucose
Brain tumors	usually clear	0 to 8 lymphocytes	15 to 200 mg/dL	Positive for malignant cells
Cerebral hemorrhage	Colorless or yellow or bloody	whole blood cells	30 to 150 mg/dL	Bloody color CSF We May see increased polys
Spinal cord tumors	Clear or colorless or yellow	Cells are variable	1000 to 2000 mg/dl	It may be positive for tumors
Neurosyphilis	Clear and colorless	10 to 100 lymphocytes	50 to 150 mg/dL	Reactive VDRL Positive CSF T.pallidum antibody
Tuberculous meningitis	Colorless or yellow with fibrin clot	50 to 500 lymphocytes	50 to 300 mg /dL (may reach 1000 mg)	Smear may be positive for AFB stain TB culture
Bacterial meningitis	Cloudy	WBC > 1000 /µL	Increased	Gram stain may show bacteria
Brain abscess	Clear or turbid	Cells are variable	20 to 120 mg/dL	Gram stain may help
Multiple sclerosis	Clear, colorless	0 to 10 lymphocytes	50 to 150 mg/dL	IgG index is elevated Positive oligoclonal band

The most common organism causing various types of inflammation of the meninges:

Type of CNS infection	Causative agents
Meningitis	Neisseria meningitidis Hemophilus influenzae Listeria monocytogenes Streptococcus pneumoniae Mycobacterium tuberculosis Fungi like cryptococcus neoformans and Coccidiodes immitis
Aseptic meningitis	Protozoal like Naegleria and Aconthamoeba
Tertiary syphilis	Treponema pallidum
Encephalitis	Mycoplasma pneumoniae Herpes simplex Arbovirus (West Nile, St.Louis, and Japanese virus) Polio
Tetanus	Clostridium tetani
Botulism	Clostridium botulinumm
AIDs	HIV
Rabies	Rabies virus
Sleeping sickness	Trypanosoma spp
Toxoplasmosis	Toxoplasma gondii
Shingles	Varicella-zoster
Poliomyelitis	Coxsackie

Possible References Used

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