Cerebrospinal Fluid Abnormalities in Various Disorders
Condition | Pressure* | WBCs/microL* | Predominant Cell Type | Glucose | Protein* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Normal | 100–200 mm H2O | 0–3 | L | 50–100 mg/dL (2.78–5.55 mmol/L) | 20–45 mg/dL |
↑ | 100–10,000 | PMN | ↓ | > 100 mg/dL† | |
Subacute and chronic meningitis (eg, due to TB, Cryptococcus infection, sarcoidosis, leukemia, or carcinoma) | N or ↑ | 100–700 | L | ↓ | ↑ |
Acute syphilitic meningitis | N or ↑ | 25–2000 | L | N | ↑ |
Paretic neurosyphilis | N or ↑ | 15–2000 | L | N | ↑ |
Autoimmune encephalitis | N | N or ↑ | L | N | N or ↑ |
Lyme disease of CNS | N or ↑ | 0–500 | L | N | N or ↑ |
N or ↑ | 0–1000 | L | N | ↑ | |
Viral infections | N or ↑ | 100–2000 | L | N | N or ↑ |
↑ | N | L | N | N or ↓ | |
↑ | Bloody | RBC | N | ↑ | |
Cerebral thrombosis | N or ↑ | 0–100 | L | N | N or ↑ |
N | 0–50 | L | N | N or ↑ | |
N | 0–50 | L | N | N or ↑ | |
N | 0–100 | L | N | > 100 mg/dL | |
Lead encephalopathy | ↑ | ↑ | L | N | ↑ |
* Figures given for pressure, cell count, and protein are approximations; exceptions are common. Similarly, PMNs may predominate in disorders usually characterized by lymphocyte response, especially early in the course of viral infections or tuberculous meningitis. Alterations in glucose are less variable and more reliable. | |||||
† Up to 14% of patients may have a CSF protein level < 100 mg/dL in the initial lumbar puncture sample. | |||||
CNS = central nervous system; L = lymphocyte; N = normal; PMN = polymorphonuclear leukocyte; ↑= increased; ↓= decreased. | |||||