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Non-infective meningitis

Last edited: 4/14/2026

Overview

Non-infective meningitis refers to inflammation of the meninges not caused by infectious agents, often associated with non-infectious conditions such as malignancies, autoimmune disorders, or certain medications. 21

Diagnosis

  • Clinical presentation includes headache, fever, neck stiffness, and altered mental status.
  • Lumbar puncture essential for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis; typically shows normal cell count and negative cultures.
  • Imaging studies (CT or MRI) may reveal underlying causes like tumors or vascular abnormalities. 121
  • Management

  • First-line treatments depend on the underlying cause:
  • - Autoimmune conditions: Corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone) to reduce inflammation. 21 - Tumors: Targeted therapies or radiation based on tumor type and location.
  • Adjunctive treatments:
  • - Symptomatic management with analgesics and antipyretics. - Supportive care including hydration and monitoring for complications. 21

    Special Populations

  • Pregnancy: Management focuses on safe use of corticosteroids and avoiding teratogenic agents; close monitoring of both mother and fetus is crucial. 21
  • Pediatrics: Diagnosis and treatment similar to adults but with heightened vigilance for developmental impacts and side effects of medications. 21
  • Elderly: Increased risk of complications; tailored treatment plans considering comorbidities and medication interactions. 21
  • Comorbidities: Tailored approach based on coexisting conditions; careful selection of medications to avoid exacerbating other health issues. 21
  • Key Recommendations

  • Perform lumbar puncture for definitive diagnosis, including CSF analysis and ruling out infectious etiologies. (Evidence: Moderate 121)
  • Initiate treatment based on identified underlying cause, such as corticosteroids for autoimmune conditions. (Evidence: Moderate 21)
  • Monitor for and manage complications closely, especially in special populations like pregnant women and the elderly. (Evidence: Expert opinion 21)
  • References

    1 Yount JS. Ten promotion and tenure tips for microbiologists and immunologists. mBio 2024. link 2 Castagnetti M, Herbst KW, Bagli D, Beckers GMA, Harper L, Kaefer M et al.. EBM II: How to perform a literature search. Journal of pediatric urology 2019. link 3 Daskivich TJ, Spiegel B, Kim HL. Online Ratings Systems for Physicians and Institutions: Limitations of the Current State of the Art. European urology 2017. link 4 O'Doherty M. Sir William Wilde: an enlightened editor. Irish journal of medical science 2016. link 5 Wachter RM. Measurement, Certification, and Quality: Meeting Enduring Challenges with Modern Tools. Ophthalmology 2016. link 6 Rose S. Second chances for shelved compounds. Cancer discovery 2013. link 7 Mandrekar JN. Measures of interrater agreement. Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2011. link 8 Vintzileos AM, Ananth CV. How to write and publish an original research article. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 2010. link 9 Paul LC. Cosmeceuticals and patents: the physician and dentist brands. Clinics in dermatology 2009. link 10 Podobnik B, Stanley HE. Detrended cross-correlation analysis: a new method for analyzing two nonstationary time series. Physical review letters 2008. link 11 Quan DJ. A primer on pharmacokinetics. Nephrology nursing journal : journal of the American Nephrology Nurses' Association 2008. link 12 Rozman S, Rude VL, Polasky J. Medical opinions: the physician-owned independent medical examination company. The Orthopedic clinics of North America 2008. link 13 Amon E. Expert witness testimony. Clinics in perinatology 2007. link 14 Hodgins D, Bertsch A. Developments in sensor systems. Medical device technology 2007. link 15 Gatrad AR, Gatrad S, Gatrad A. Equipment donation to developing countries. Anaesthesia 2007. link 16 Sedory Holzer SE, Kokemueller P. Internet platforms for lifelong learning: a continuum of opportunity. Otolaryngologic clinics of North America 2007. link 17 Macdonald NJ. Older nurses embrace hospice & home care. Caring : National Association for Home Care magazine 2004. link 18 Patel A, O'Brien R, Jones P, Quintana Y. Interoperability of open source medical record systems. AMIA ... Annual Symposium proceedings. AMIA Symposium 2003. link 19 Garmaise D. Clinical trial on medicinal use of marijuana cancelled. Canadian HIV/AIDS policy & law review 2003. link 20 O'Leary F. Is email a reliable means of contacting authors of previously published papers? A study of the Emergency Medicine Journal for 2001. Emergency medicine journal : EMJ 2003. link 21 Montori VM, Guyatt GH. What is evidence-based medicine?. Endocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America 2002. link00015-4) 22 Leaver D. Survey research techniques. Radiologic technology 2000. link 23 Karlsson J, Eklund P, Hallgren CG, Sjödin JG. Data warehousing as a basis for web-based documentation of data mining and analysis. Studies in health technology and informatics 1999. link 24 Cantwell JD. Leila Denmark, MD: practicing medicine at age 100. The American journal of cardiology 1999. link00936-9) 25 Vissers MC, Hasman A. Building a flexible protocol information system with ready for use' web-technology. International journal of medical informatics 1999. link00157-9) 26 Rees C, Joslyn S. The importance of hope. Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987) 1998. link 27 Carlomagno M, Draper V. Activity-based costing management in a private practice setting. Medical group management journal 1997. link 28 Sager N, Nhàn NT, Lyman M, Tick LJ. Medical language processing with SGML display. Proceedings : a conference of the American Medical Informatics Association. AMIA Fall Symposium 1996. link 29 Rao JK, Callahan LF. Systems for data analysis. Rheumatic diseases clinics of North America 1995. link 30 Dombrowski MP, Tomlinson MW, Bottoms SF, Johnson MP, Sokol RJ. Computer-generated admission forms have greater accuracy. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 1995. link90353-4) 31 Pritchard DJ, Morgan H, Cooper JM. Patterning and regeneration of surfaces with antibodies. Analytical chemistry 1995. link 32 Panush RS, Delafuente JC, Connelly CS, Edwards NL, Greer JM, Longley S et al.. Profile of a meeting: how abstracts are written and reviewed. The Journal of rheumatology 1989. link 33 Norman GR. Objective measurement of clinical performance. Medical education 1985. link 34 Gelsema ES, Landeweerd GH. The use of ISPAHAN: interactive system for statistical pattern recognition and analysis. Analytical and quantitative cytology 1981. link

    Original source

    1. [1]
    2. [2]
      EBM II: How to perform a literature search.Castagnetti M, Herbst KW, Bagli D, Beckers GMA, Harper L, Kaefer M et al. Journal of pediatric urology (2019)
    3. [3]
    4. [4]
      Sir William Wilde: an enlightened editor.O'Doherty M Irish journal of medical science (2016)
    5. [5]
    6. [6]
      Second chances for shelved compounds.Rose S Cancer discovery (2013)
    7. [7]
      Measures of interrater agreement.Mandrekar JN Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (2011)
    8. [8]
      How to write and publish an original research article.Vintzileos AM, Ananth CV American journal of obstetrics and gynecology (2010)
    9. [9]
      Cosmeceuticals and patents: the physician and dentist brands.Paul LC Clinics in dermatology (2009)
    10. [10]
    11. [11]
      A primer on pharmacokinetics.Quan DJ Nephrology nursing journal : journal of the American Nephrology Nurses' Association (2008)
    12. [12]
      Medical opinions: the physician-owned independent medical examination company.Rozman S, Rude VL, Polasky J The Orthopedic clinics of North America (2008)
    13. [13]
      Expert witness testimony.Amon E Clinics in perinatology (2007)
    14. [14]
      Developments in sensor systems.Hodgins D, Bertsch A Medical device technology (2007)
    15. [15]
      Equipment donation to developing countries.Gatrad AR, Gatrad S, Gatrad A Anaesthesia (2007)
    16. [16]
      Internet platforms for lifelong learning: a continuum of opportunity.Sedory Holzer SE, Kokemueller P Otolaryngologic clinics of North America (2007)
    17. [17]
      Older nurses embrace hospice & home care.Macdonald NJ Caring : National Association for Home Care magazine (2004)
    18. [18]
      Interoperability of open source medical record systems.Patel A, O'Brien R, Jones P, Quintana Y AMIA ... Annual Symposium proceedings. AMIA Symposium (2003)
    19. [19]
      Clinical trial on medicinal use of marijuana cancelled.Garmaise D Canadian HIV/AIDS policy & law review (2003)
    20. [20]
    21. [21]
      What is evidence-based medicine?Montori VM, Guyatt GH Endocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America (2002)
    22. [22]
      Survey research techniques.Leaver D Radiologic technology (2000)
    23. [23]
      Data warehousing as a basis for web-based documentation of data mining and analysis.Karlsson J, Eklund P, Hallgren CG, Sjödin JG Studies in health technology and informatics (1999)
    24. [24]
      Leila Denmark, MD: practicing medicine at age 100.Cantwell JD The American journal of cardiology (1999)
    25. [25]
      Building a flexible protocol information system with ready for use' web-technology.Vissers MC, Hasman A International journal of medical informatics (1999)
    26. [26]
      The importance of hope.Rees C, Joslyn S Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987) (1998)
    27. [27]
      Activity-based costing management in a private practice setting.Carlomagno M, Draper V Medical group management journal (1997)
    28. [28]
      Medical language processing with SGML display.Sager N, Nhàn NT, Lyman M, Tick LJ Proceedings : a conference of the American Medical Informatics Association. AMIA Fall Symposium (1996)
    29. [29]
      Systems for data analysis.Rao JK, Callahan LF Rheumatic diseases clinics of North America (1995)
    30. [30]
      Computer-generated admission forms have greater accuracy.Dombrowski MP, Tomlinson MW, Bottoms SF, Johnson MP, Sokol RJ American journal of obstetrics and gynecology (1995)
    31. [31]
      Patterning and regeneration of surfaces with antibodies.Pritchard DJ, Morgan H, Cooper JM Analytical chemistry (1995)
    32. [32]
      Profile of a meeting: how abstracts are written and reviewed.Panush RS, Delafuente JC, Connelly CS, Edwards NL, Greer JM, Longley S et al. The Journal of rheumatology (1989)
    33. [33]
      Objective measurement of clinical performance.Norman GR Medical education (1985)
    34. [34]
      The use of ISPAHAN: interactive system for statistical pattern recognition and analysis.Gelsema ES, Landeweerd GH Analytical and quantitative cytology (1981)

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