Neuroinfectious diseases at a European neurological tertiary care center: one-third of patients require treatment in the neurological intensive care unit.

Background and purpose: Studies on the impact of infectious diseases affecting the nervous system are sparse. Methods: All patients with neuroinfectious diseases (NIDs) who were treated at our Department of Neurology from 2005 until 2009 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Patients with NIDs required treatment at the intensive care unit in 34.8%. The mortality rate of patients with NIDs was significantly higher than that of other inpatients with neurological diseases (5.1% vs. 3.0%, respectively, P = 0.018). Conclusion: In summary, this study shows that patients with NIDs are severely ill and mortality is high.