Chemical Meningitis

Some authors in fact refer to episodes as chemical arachnoiditis. Jolles et al. at the National Institute for Medical Research, London, ( [1] ) discussed Drug-induced aseptic meningitis (DIAM), which they denoted as "uncommon." The authors remarked that most of the literature comprises anecdotal case reports. The major types of causative drugs are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antimicrobials (antibiotics) "intravenous immunoglobulin, intrathecal agents, vaccines". The authors also noted the association between lupus and DIAM and the link with ibuprofen. They stated that up to 60% of patients with SLE are estimated to have CNS symptoms associated with inflammation at some time during their illness, and that this could predispose them to DIAM. They postulated 2 possible ways in which DIAM arises: