# Subacute Hydrocephalus Revealing a Cryptococcus Infection in a Seven-Year-Old Child

## TL;DR

A seven-year-old HIV-positive girl developed subacute hydrocephalus due to cryptococcal meningitis and was successfully treated with fluid diversion and antifungal therapy.

## Contribution

This case highlights subacute hydrocephalus as a revealing sign of HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis in a pediatric patient.

## Key findings

- Subacute hydrocephalus was the initial manifestation of cryptococcal meningitis in an HIV-positive child.
- Treatment with cerebrospinal fluid diversion and antifungal therapy led to a favorable clinical outcome.
- Intracranial hypertension is a common and severe complication of cryptococcal meningitis.

## Abstract

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is the third most common neurological complication in immunocompromised patients and is usually associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. The most common complication of CM is intracranial hypertension (ICH), and it constitutes a poor prognosis factor. This case report describes a case of subacute onset hydrocephalus revealing a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated CM in a seven-year-old girl requiring cerebrospinal fluid diversion and fungal treatment with a favorable outcome.