Fogarty Fellow: Preethiya Sekar

Research Project

Tuberculosis Meningitis-Associated Neurocognitive Disability in the Context of HIV Co-Infection

Tuberculosis meningitis (TBM) is the second most common causes of meningitis in Sub-Saharan Africa. TBM has greater than 50% mortality in people living with HIV and at least 20% in people without HIV. Neurocognitive disability can affect up to one third of TBM survivors. Yet, information about survivors with neurologic sequelae is sparse; specifically, prevalence of neurologic disability, risk factors for neurologic disability, and functional outcomes. This is true particularly in HIV-related TBM. This study will utilize a robust existing cohort of persons with TBM and HIV co-infection at the Infectious Disease Institute in Kampala, Uganda to: 1) Determine the prevalence of neurocognitive disability, 2) Identify risk factors for different types of neurocognitive disability, and 3) Assess functional outcomes of neurocognitive disability and risk factors for functional limitations. The results from this research will increase understanding of the burden of neurocognitive sequelae and drive policy-level decisions on how to reduce the burden of disability and management of TBM neurocomplications in low-resource settings.

Mentors

• David Boulware, MD, PhD, University of Minnesota
• David Meya, PhD, Makerere University