Jaime Soria, MD, MSc
Nominated From: University of Washington
Research Site: Peru
Research Areas: Tuberculosis & HIV
Primary Mentor: Eduardo Ticona
Research Project:
Tuberculous Meningitis in HIV Infected and Non-infected Patients: Diagnostic and Prognostic Factors in Lima, Peru.
This is a prospective study to identify diagnostic, prognostic, and immunologic factors in Peruvians diagnosed with Tuberculous Meningitis (TBM), with and without concomitant HIV infection, in Lima – Peru.
Questionnaires regarding potential risk factors for TB infection, current neurologic and systemic symptoms, neurological examination, laboratory testing for detection of TB, CSF assessment, computerized tomography (CT) brain scan and other related test will be performed. Subjects will be followed for one year to also evaluate long-term outcome of TBM.
Research Significance
Despite being a preventable and curable disease, Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem. In 2010, there were an estimated 8.8 million new active TB cases and nearly 1.5 million TB deaths worldwide, primarily in resource limited settings. In Peru, TB is considered to be one of the most pressing issues in public heath today. TB has become the leading cause of death among people coinfected with HIV. Immunosuppressed persons are particularly vulnerable to developing more aggressive forms of TB, including TB meningitis (TBM) which, even when not fatal, often results in very poor clinical outcomes.
One of the greatest challenge clinicians face is making a rapid and accurate diagnosis and the effective management requires prompt recognition of the infection using a combination of clinical criteria, radiological and laboratory diagnostics to start an appropriate therapy.
Advice for Potential Applicants
Propose a work that may have a global impact but without forget local aspects, looking to get a commitment from local institutions in the project development.
