Paradoxical deterioration during treatment of tuberculous meningitis responded to infliximab but not to steroids

Patients with tuberculous meningitis may experience a paradoxical deterioration in spite of correct antituberculosis treatment.The paradoxical deterioration may have a severe clinical presentation, requiring high vigilance and consideration of treatment escalation.Here we report that off-label administration of tumour necrosis factor-alpha blocker infliximab induced a significant clinical and radiological improvement in a severe case of paradoxical deterioration in a patient with tuberculous meningitis, suggesting its potential as a treatment when standard therapies fail.