Evidence mapPaperPMID 41511673Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology2026

High dose of rifampicin in the treatment of tuberculous meningitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Jiaqi Pu, Shouquan Wu, Jian-Qing He

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Jiaqi PuDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Guo-xue-xiang 37#, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
Shouquan WuDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Guo-xue-xiang 37#, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
Jian-Qing HeDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Guo-xue-xiang 37#, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China. jianqing_he@scu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe efficacy and safety of high-dose rifampicin in patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remain uncertain.

methodA comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy and safety of high-dose rifampicin treatment in patients with TBM, up to October 8, 2024. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality at the longest follow-up period reported by individual trials, while the secondary outcome was the incidence of serious adverse events. We applied a random-effects model and calculated risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of pooled outcomes.

resultSeven RCTs involving 1,296 TBM patients were included. High-dose rifampicin did not reduce all-cause mortality (RR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.55-1.43,P= 0.61). Similarly, it was not associated with a reduction in serious adverse events (RR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.62-1.50,P= 0.87).

conclusionThis meta-analysis of seven RCTs involving 1,296 patients with TBM found that high-dose rifampicin treatment neither significantly reduced all-cause mortality nor decreased serious adverse events.

Indexed as

Antitubercular AgentsRifampinTuberculosis, MeningealHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeAntitubercular AgentsRifampinDoseMeta-analysisRifampicinTuberculous meningitis

Identifiers

PMID41511673

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.