ABSTRACT
Headaches are associated with a wide range of infections in both intracranial and extracranial structures. This chapter emphasizes selected intracranial and system infections, including meningitis and encephalitis. It discusses issues related to Lyme borreliosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, including the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Aseptic meningitis is characterized by headache, low-grade fever, stiff neck, fatigue, and anorexia. The clinical features of bacterial and viral meningitis are similar, although bacterial meningitis is generally more clinically fulminant. Headache is the most common symptom of bacterial meningitis. The defining investigation in a suspected case of meningitis is a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination. The CSF examination, with an excess of lymphocytes, an unremarkable or modestly elevated CSF protein, and a normal ratio of CSF to blood plasma glucose, suggests a non-bacterial infection. Patients who have cryptococcal meningitis generally have symptoms of headaches and fever, but this is not always the case.
