Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases
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Scand. J. Infect. Dis. · Jul 2012
Spontaneous intracranial hypotension syndrome may mimic aseptic meningitis.
Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is recognized with increasing frequency. A throbbing headache occurring or worsening in the upright position and improving after lying down, a so-called 'orthostatic headache', low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, and diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the major features of the classic syndrome. These patients, who are admitted with fever, headache, and CSF findings revealing lymphocytic pleocytosis, elevated protein concentration, normal glucose levels, and negative culture results, are prone to be misdiagnosed with aseptic meningitis. The aims of this single-centre retrospective study were to determine the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and radiological features of patients initially evaluated as having aseptic meningitis but subsequently diagnosed with SIH, and to touch upon the key points of the differential diagnosis in daily infectious diseases practice. ⋯ Findings of fever, headache, and meningeal irritation are generally accepted as the clinical features of meningitis. When CSF findings are not characteristically compatible with bacterial meningitis and particularly when the headache is orthostatic in nature, SIH should also be included in the differential diagnosis. MRI findings are characteristic and clearly contribute to the differential diagnosis between viral meningitis and SIH.