Aseptic meningitis

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Central nervous system

Sterile meningitis

• Abdominal pain
• Abnormal sensitivity to light (photophobia)
• Chills
• Confusion
• Drowsiness
• Fever
• General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rash
• Sore throat
• Stiff neck

Physical examination may show:

• Fast heart rate
• Fever
• Stiff neck

For any patient who is suspected of having meningitis, it is important to perform a lumbar puncture ("spinal tap"), in which spinal fluid (known as cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF) is collected for testing.

Tests that may be done include:

• Blood culture
• Chest x-ray
• CSF examination for cell count, glucose, and protein
• CT scan of the head
• Gram stain, other special stains, and culture of CSF
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of CSF

Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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