Follow Healthline   |   Healthline on TwitterTwitter   |   Healthline on FacebookFacebook
Symptom Search   |   Treatment Search   |   Doctor Search   |   Drug Search

Aseptic meningitis Health Article

Advertisement
Marketplace
Licensed from
Page: 1 2 Next >

Definition

Aseptic meningitis is an illness that appears similar to bacterial meningitis; however, bacteria do not grow in cultures of the fluid around the brain and spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid).

See also:

Alternative Names

Sterile meningitis

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

There are many causes of aseptic meningitis, including:

  • Infections near the brain or spinal cord, such as epidural abscesses
  • Fungi
  • Mycobacteria
  • Some cancers (cause a syndrome similar to meningitis)
  • Some medications (such as antibiotics and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications)
  • Tick-borne diseases (such as Lyme disease)
  • Tuberculosis
  • Viruses

About half of aseptic meningitis cases are caused by the coxsackie virus and echovirus, two members the enterovirus family. The rate of enteroviral infections increases in the summer and early fall. Enteroviruses are spread by hand-to-mouth contact and coughing. They also may be spread by contact with fecal matter.

Other viruses that cause this condition include:

Risk factors for aseptic meningitis include:

  • Being a health care worker
  • Having a suppressed immune system
  • Exposure to children in a day care setting
  • Exposure to someone with a recent viral infection

Symptoms

Signs and tests

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

Tests may include:

  • Bacterial cultures of spinal fluid
  • Other cultures or special tests of spinal fluid
  • White blood cell count
  • White blood cell count in spinal fluid

Page: 1 2 Next >
Reviewer Info: 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, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.; ADAM Health Illustrated Encyclopedia, 09/28/2008
 
Healthline Tools
Nervous System - Brain
View all
Advertisement
Back to Top