Risk factors for unfavorable clinical outcomes in patients with brain abscess in South Korea.

Abstract

BackgroundBrain abscess can be life-threatening and manifest various neurological findings, although the mortality rate has decreased recently. We investigated the risk factors for unfavorable outcomes of patients with brain abscess.MethodsA retrospective cohort study examined patients with brain abscess seen from May 2005 to December 2018 in a tertiary care hospital in Seoul, South Korea. We reviewed the medical records for clinical findings, therapeutic modalities, and prognostic factors of brain abscess. Unfavorable clinical outcomes were defined as death, moderate to severe disability with neurological deficits, or vegetative state at 1 year or at the time of discharge from outpatient follow-up.ResultsThe study enrolled 135 patients: 65.2% were males; the mean age was 56 years. 35.6% had unfavorable outcomes. In multivariate analysis, higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) (p ConclusionsHigher SOFA, pre-existing hemiplegia and higher Charlson comorbidity index were significant risk factors for unfavorable clinical outcomes in patients with brain abscess.