Aseptic meningitis natural history


 * Associate Editor-In-Chief:

Overview
Patients typically had a relatively short and benign course. Other terms sometimes included in the umbrella ‘aseptic meningitis’ (AM) are lymphocytic, viral, chemical, non-bacterial and sterile. Currently, the term AM is used to describe patients with no detectable bacterial cause after initial CSF evaluation. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to predict who will have a life-threatening disease from those who will rapidly recover without specific treatment.

Complications
Seizures, encephalitis and cognitive problems can develop, although rarely.

Prognosis
In immunocompetent individuals, the disease is usually mild and self-limiting. Full recovery 5-14 days afterwards is normal.