Recurrent ibuprofen-induced aseptic meningitis: Evidence against an antigen-specific immune response

Dual drug-induced aseptic meningoencephalitis: More than a suggestion

We present the case of a patient with a first single episode of a dual drug-induced aseptic mening (DIAM) due to amoxicillin and ibuprofen and a short review of updated literature. A 76-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with slowness and confusion following a dental and gingival inflammation treated with oral amoxicillin 500 mg bid and ibuprofen 600 mg tid for 1 week. His mental state and higher functions abruptly worsened after therapy increase leading to hospitalization. Both the drugs were stopped and the patient improved rapidly within 2–3 days and was released asymptomatic after a week. On the basis of this temporal relationship with a comprehensive negative neuroimaging and laboratory testing for viral, bacterial, and mycobacterial micro-organisms, a DIAM by amoxicillin and ibuprofen was diagnosed. We support the hypothesis that this dual therapy was causative because of the progressive onset of central nervous system symptoms starting at a low amoxicillin dose with a high ibuprofen intake and that this sort of chemical meningoencephalitis was mostly due to the pharmacokinetic of amoxicillin after its dose increase. To our knowledge, this is the first documented publication of a severe first episode of DIAM with predominant higher function involvement caused by these two drugs commonly used together, amoxicillin and ibuprofen.

Drug-induced meningitis: A review of the literature and comparison with an historical cohort of viral meningitis cases

BACKGROUND

Drug-induced aseptic meningitis (DIAM) is potentially insufficiently considered by clinician, being of rare etiology, with there being no previously published exhaustive study describing its clinical and biological features.

METHODS

Two independent academic clinicians searched all the case reports of DIAM from 1995 until 15^th April, 2017. The search was limited to studies performed in humans, published in English or French. Clinical and biological data of subjects were compared with those of patients with documented viral meningitis.

RESULTS

One hundred and fifty-one case reports fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were the commonest drug cause of AM n=49, followed by antibiotics n=46, biotherapy n=19 and finally immunomodulators n=15. The clinical and biological presentation of DIAM varies according to the causative etiological drug, especially with respect to the interval between exposure and presentation and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleiocytosis. Clinical symptoms associated with meningitis were more prevalent in viral meningitis than in DIAM, except for fever and signs of encephalitis. Cerebrospinal fluid examination in DIAM reveals an increased CSF white cell count and an increased proportion of neutrophils and protein, compared with viral meningitis.

DISCUSSION

We present an extensive review of the DIAM case reports, and highlight their clinical and biological characteristics according to the drugs involved. While comparing for the first time their characteristics with those of viral meningitis, this review hopes in facilitate earlier diagnosis and management of DIAM in clinical practice.

Meningitis due to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: an often-overlooked complication of a widely used medication

A 40-year-old man developed aseptic meningitis after ibuprofen consumption for tension-type headaches. After a thorough diagnostic workup and lack of improvement on empirical therapy for common aetiologies of meningitis (bacterial and viral infections), we suspected non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) induced meningitis due to the temporal relationship between drug administration and symptom onset. Two days after NSAID suppression, the evolution was progressively favourable with complete resolution of fever and symptoms. On follow-up, symptoms did not recur and there was no neurological sequela. This article summarises the clinical picture and the complementary exams that led to the difficult-to-make diagnosis of NSAID-induced acute meningitis, in parallel with a brief review of the literature.

Headache in Drug-Induced Aseptic Meningitis

Drug-associated headache is a quite common phenomenon, e.g. as a side effect of distinct substances such as nitric oxide or as a result of medication overuse of analgesic drugs. A different drug-associated headache entity is headache in drug-induced aseptic meningitis (DIAM). This is a rare disorder and only described in few case reports or smaller case series. One of the main clinical features of DIAM despite fever is headache. Based on the literature, no typical or even pathognomonical clinical presentation of this headache entity can be described. Sometimes, migrainous features might be present, and treatment response to triptans was reported in single case reports. Headache in DIAM seems to be emerging from sterile meningeal inflammation, which is suggested to represent the underlying pathology in DIAM. Headache in DIAM usually ceases when treated sufficiently, mainly through termination or withdrawal of the causing agent. Migraine as a predisposing factor of DIAM has been discussed previously but remains unproven.

[A case of recurrent aseptic meningitis induced by ergot agents]

We describe the case of a 29-year-old woman with recurrent aseptic meningitis that was caused by ergot agents. She miscarried at age 27, and the uterus constrictor methylergometrine was prescribed. Three days later, she developed aseptic meningitis and was hospitalized. Two years later, she again developed aseptic meningitis the day after she took ergotamine tartrate. In both events, her symptoms improved rapidly when the medication was stopped. The drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test for methylergometrine yielded a value of 180%. Drug-induced meningitis is a rare form of recurrent aseptic meningitis. Many studies have reported cases of meningitis caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but many other drugs can induce aseptic meningitis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of aseptic meningitis induced by ergot agents.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs exposure and the central nervous system

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most commonly used agents in clinical practice. They are employed as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic agents for a wide spectrum of clinical conditions. Their anti-inflammatory properties are primarily due to inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis. In this paper we review the neurological effects associated with the use of NSAIDs. Acute CNS toxicity related to NSAID use is pervasive and varied. A prospective study looking at ibuprofen overdose noted that 30% of patients experience CNS effects ranging from drowsiness to coma. Case reports have identified numerous neurologic sequelae including ataxia, vertigo, dizziness, recurrent falls, nystagmus, headache, encephalopathy, and disorientation. Seizures have also been reported, mostly after overdose ingestions, but even therapeutic doses have occasionally been associated with seizures. One of the important neurologic side-effects attributed to the use of NSAIDs is aseptic meningitis. The clinical signs of drug-induced meningitis are similar to those of infectious meningitis and include fever, headache, photophobia, and stiff neck. The laboratory findings are also similar, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis of several hundred or thousand cells, mainly neutrophils, elevated levels of protein, normal or low glucose levels and negative cultures. Drug-induced meningitis is a transient disorder with an excellent prognosis. Most or all drugs used for the treatment of headache, including NSAIDs, may cause a condition known as medication overuse headache - a refractory chronic daily headache that tends to resolve following discontinuation of the analgesics. Reye's syndrome is a rare severe illness occurring mainly in children and adolescents and characterized by abnormal liver function, vomiting, and encephalopathy, with a mortality rate approaching 40%. The pathogenesis is currently unknown, but commonly the syndrome is preceded by a viral episode, with an intermediate latent period of 3-5 days. An association with aspirin use is strongly suggested. Aspirin, the classic and most commonly used NSAID, has a well-documented effect in inhibiting intravascular clotting, thus reducing the occurrence of ischemic strokes and other vascular events. NSAIDs, however, have a double impact on coagulation. On the one hand, most agents inhibit the synthesis of thromboxane in the platelets, thereby inhibiting coagulation. On the other hand, they also inhibit the production of prostacyclin by endothelial cells, resulting in a prothrombotic state. Selective inhibition of COX-2 by drugs such as rofecoxib (Vioxx) and valdecoxib (Bextra) results in specific inhibition of synthesis of prostaglandins participating in inflammation and was found to lead to vascular complications including an increased risk for stroke. The connection between inflammation and neuronal degeneration is well established. Most studies, including the prospective Rotterdam study, have found an inverse correlation between the use of NSAIDs and the risk for dementia. Two meta-analyses have found 40% and 25% reduction, respectively, in the risk of Alzheimer's disease among NSAID users. However, some large, well designed studies failed to confirm these results, and some even found that NSAID use is associated with cognitive decline. The clinical impact of NSAIDs on Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear. While some studies showed that chronic NSAID use is protective against PD, other studies could not confirm the existence of a significant relationship. A recent meta-analysis indicated that the use of non-aspirin NSAID, particularly ibuprofen, reduces the risk of PD by 15% while the use of aspirin did not show any effect.

The importance of toxoplasma gondii infection in diseases presenting with headaches. Headaches and aseptic meningitis may be manifestations of the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction

Worldwide, approximately 2 billion people are chronically infected with T. gondii with largely unknown consequences. This review presents clinical symptoms, differential diagnosis, triggering factors, treatment, and pathomechanisms responsible for idiopathic intracranial hypertension, pseudotumor cerebri, and aseptic meningitis. Literature cited in this work illustrates that immune state and other biologic mediator imbalances due to various endogenous and exogenous triggering factors may markedly affect latent central nervous system T. gondii infection/inflammation intensity, and cause reactivation of cerebral toxoplasmosis (CT). Irregularities in pro- and anti-inflammatory processes may markedly disturb the host and/or T. gondii defense mechanisms important for immune control of the parasite thereby manifesting as a wide range of neurologic symptoms and signs observed in some patients with migraine, epilepsy, celiac disease, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, and other brain disorders. This is consistent with reactivation of CT in mice after treatment with dexamethasone associated with depression of type T(H)1 immune response, and development of CT after administration of etanercept or other bioproducts. It seems that various types of headaches, epilepsy, aseptic meningitis, systemic adverse reactions to drugs or other substances represent the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction due to apoptosis of T. gondii tachyzoites. Also development of some brain tumors, such as ependymoma and glioma may be associated with a chronic course of CT. Thus, all these patients should be tested for T. gondii infection.

Mollaret meningitis may be caused by reactivation of latent cerebral toxoplasmosis

Mollaret meningitis (MM) occurs mainly in females and is characterized by recurrent episodes of headache, transient neurological abnormalities, and the cerebrospinal fluid containing mononuclear cells. HSV-2 was usually identified as the causative agent. Recently, we found that recurrent headaches in non-HIV-infected subjects were due to acquired cerebral toxoplasmosis (CT). The aim of the study was therefore to focus on molecular pathomechanisms that may lead to reactivation of latent CT and manifest as MM. Literature data cited in this work were selected to illustrate that various factors may affect latent CNS Toxoplasma gondii infection/inflammation intensity and/or host defense mechanisms, i.e., the production of NO, cytokines, tryptophan degradation by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, mechanisms mediated by an IFN-gamma responsive gene family, limiting the availability of intracellular iron to T. gondii, and production of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, finally inducing choroid plexitis and/or vasculitis. Examples of triggers revealing MM and accompanying disturbances of IFN-gamma-mediated immune responses that control HSV-2 and T. gondii include: female predominance (female mice are more susceptible to T. gondii infection than males); HSV-2 infection (increased IFN-gamma, IL-12); metaraminol (increased plasma catecholamine levels, changes in cytokine expression favoring T(H)2 cells responses); probably cholesterol contained in debris from ruptured epidermoid cysts (decreased NO; increased TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-8). These irregularities induced by the triggers may be responsible for reactivation of latent CT and development of MM. Thus, subjects with MM should have test(s) for T. gondii infection performed obligatorily.

Emergency department management of meningitis and encephalitis

Bacterial meningitis and viral encephalitis are infectious disease emergencies that can cause significant patient morbidity and mortality. Clinicians use epidemiologic, historical, and physical examination findings to identify patients at risk for these infections, and central nervous system (CNS) imaging and lumbar puncture (LP) may be needed to further evaluate for these diagnoses. The diagnosis of bacterial meningitis can be challenging, as patients often lack some of the characteristic findings of this disease with presentations that overlap with more common disorders seen in the emergency department. This article addresses considerations in clinical evaluation, need for CNS imaging before LP, interpretation of cerebrospinal fluid results, standards for and effects of timely antibiotic administration, and recommendations for specific antimicrobial therapy and corticosteroids.