Brain abscess

Approximately 2500 cases of cerebral abscess are diagnosed annually in the US.[2]Hall WA, Truwit CL. The surgical management of infections involving the cerebrum. Neurosurgery. 2008 Feb;62(2 suppl):519-30. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18596452?tool=bestpractice.com [3]Hall WA. Brain abscess: still a surgical entity. World Neurosurg. 2011 May-Jun;75(5-6):616-7. Prevalence is highest in adult men younger than 30 years, while pediatric disease occurs most frequently in children ages 4 to 7 years. Neonates comprise a third at-risk group. One systematic review found a male to female ratio of 2.4:1 and a mean age of 34 years.[4]Brouwer MC, Coutinho JM, van de Beek D. Clinical characteristics and outcome of brain abscess: systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurology. 2014 Mar 4;82(9):806-13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24477107?tool=bestpractice.com Geographic and seasonal variations do not play a major role. Worldwide prevalence is thought to be greater than in the US, particularly in areas with high rates of HIV infection. Within the industrialized world, brain abscesses make up only a small percentage of space-occupying intracranial lesions, which are mostly caused by primary and metastatic tumors.