Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Sterile meningitis
Treatment
Treatment is needed for fungal or mycobacterial causes of aseptic meningitis. Herpesvirus or varicella (chickenpox) virus may be treated with antiviral medicines. Treatment for noninfectious causes consists of pain medications and managing complications, if they occur.
No specific treatment is available for enteroviral or most other viral forms of aseptic meningitis.
Support Groups
Expectations (prognosis)
Unlike other forms of meningitis, aseptic meningitis caused by a virus is usually a harmless disease. Less than 1% of patients have lasting symptoms. People usually recover fully 5 - 14 days after symptoms start.
Fatigue and lightheadedness may last longer in some people.
Complications
An infection of the brain (
Calling your health care provider
Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of aseptic meningitis.
Images
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Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: 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, Assistant Professor
in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine,
Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine,
Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD,
MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
