Meningitis differential diagnosis: Difference between revisions

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*Brain abcess - Brain abcess is a focal infection of the brain parenchyma commonly caused by bacteria, fungal and parasitic pathogens. Imaging and neurosurgical aspiration is required for is differentiation in addition to CSF profile.
 
*Encepahlitis - Encephatlitis is the inflammation of brain. Meningitis can itself cause encephalitis and is called meningoencephalitis. The symptoms appear gradually in encephalitis but occur abruptly in meningitis.
 
*Delirium tremens - Delirium tremens and alcohol withdrawal should be differentiated from meningitis especially when present with confusion and fever. Both the conditions can coexist.
 
*Brain tumour - Brain tumours can simulate purulent meningitis with symptoms fever, signs of meningeal irritation and marked CSF pleocytosis. Irritation of leptomeninges by tumour and its breakdown products causes these symptoms<ref name="pmid1278192">Soffer D (1976) [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=1278192 Brain tumors simulating purulent meningitis.] ''Eur Neurol'' 14 (3):192-7. PMID: [http://pubmed.gov/1278192 1278192]</ref>. Determination of creatine kinase BB and carcinoembryonic antigenhelps in differentiating.<ref name="pmid3883130">Terheggen HG (1985) [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=3883130 [CNS tumors with the clinical picture of meningitis].] ''Monatsschr Kinderheilkd'' 133 (1):13-9. PMID: [http://pubmed.gov/3883130 3883130]</ref>
 
*Subarachnoid hemorrhage - Subarachnoid hemorrhage also presents with severe headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting like meningitis. It is a medical emergency. Imaging studies help in differentiating. Tubercular meningitis should ]be considered in the differential diagnosis in cases of nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.<ref name="pmid14585453">Yeh ST, Lee WJ, Lin HJ, Chen CY, Te AL, Lin HJ (2003) [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=14585453 Nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to tuberculous meningitis: report of two cases.] ''J Emerg Med'' 25 (3):265-70. PMID: [http://pubmed.gov/14585453 14585453]</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 17:07, 20 September 2012


Meningitis Main Page

Patient Information

Overview

Causes

Classification

Viral Meningitis
Bacterial Meningitis
Fungal Meningitis

Differential Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Treatment

  • Brain abcess - Brain abcess is a focal infection of the brain parenchyma commonly caused by bacteria, fungal and parasitic pathogens. Imaging and neurosurgical aspiration is required for is differentiation in addition to CSF profile.
  • Encepahlitis - Encephatlitis is the inflammation of brain. Meningitis can itself cause encephalitis and is called meningoencephalitis. The symptoms appear gradually in encephalitis but occur abruptly in meningitis.
  • Delirium tremens - Delirium tremens and alcohol withdrawal should be differentiated from meningitis especially when present with confusion and fever. Both the conditions can coexist.
  • Brain tumour - Brain tumours can simulate purulent meningitis with symptoms fever, signs of meningeal irritation and marked CSF pleocytosis. Irritation of leptomeninges by tumour and its breakdown products causes these symptoms[1]. Determination of creatine kinase BB and carcinoembryonic antigenhelps in differentiating.[2]
  • Subarachnoid hemorrhage - Subarachnoid hemorrhage also presents with severe headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting like meningitis. It is a medical emergency. Imaging studies help in differentiating. Tubercular meningitis should ]be considered in the differential diagnosis in cases of nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.[3]

References

  1. Soffer D (1976) Brain tumors simulating purulent meningitis. Eur Neurol 14 (3):192-7. PMID: 1278192
  2. Terheggen HG (1985) [CNS tumors with the clinical picture of meningitis.] Monatsschr Kinderheilkd 133 (1):13-9. PMID: 3883130
  3. Yeh ST, Lee WJ, Lin HJ, Chen CY, Te AL, Lin HJ (2003) Nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to tuberculous meningitis: report of two cases. J Emerg Med 25 (3):265-70. PMID: 14585453