AUTHOR=Liu Ping , Li Tao , Xi Xiuhong , Pei Ning , Huang Wei , Liu Xuhui , Xia Lu , Yang Yang , Lu Shuihua 

TITLE=Case Report: Thalidomide in the treatment of complicated central nervous system tuberculosis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Tropical Diseases

VOLUME=3

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/tropical-diseases/articles/10.3389/fitd.2022.983635

DOI=10.3389/fitd.2022.983635

ISSN=2673-7515

ABSTRACT=<p>Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNSTB) is the most fatal type of tuberculosis (TB). Early administration of glucocorticoids can improve the prognosis of CNSTB patients and reduce mortality; however, some CNSTB patients do not respond well to anti-tuberculosis drugs and glucocorticoids. As an immunomodulatory drug, Thalidomide has been used under such circumstances. We retrospectively reviewed the drug to describe its clinical characteristics, efficacy, and safety in the treatment of four complicated CNSTB patients who responded well to thalidomide. Thalidomide may be an effective and well-tolerated drug for the treatment of CNSTB, and therefore requires further study.</p>