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Drug-induced aseptic meningitis secondary to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole: a headache to be aware of

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2015

Joel R. Lockwood  and
David Carr
Joel R. Lockwood*
Affiliation:
Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
David Carr
Affiliation:
Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
*
2075 Bayview Avenue, C753, Toronto, ON M4N 3N5; jlockwoo@gmail.com

Abstract

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Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX), also known as Septra, is a commonly encountered and prescribed antibiotic in emergency department patients. The side effects associated with TMP/SMX are generally mild and self-limited, but serious side effects, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome and drug-induced aseptic meningitis, have been reported. We discuss the case of a 33-year-old woman who presented to our emergency department with the signs and symptoms of meningeal inflammation after being prescribed TMP/SMX 3 days earlier for an abscess with cellulitis.

Keywords

aseptic meningitisdrug toxicityemergency medicinetrimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole
Type
Case Report • Rapport de cas
Information
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 16 , Issue 5 , September 2014 , pp. 421 - 424
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2014

References

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