Symptoms and Signs of Chronic Meningitis
| Symptom | Sign |
|---|---|
| Chronic headache | ±Papilledema |
| Neck or back pain/stiffness | Brudzinski's or Kernig's sign of meningeal irritation |
| Change in personality | Altered mental status—drowsiness, inattention, disorientation, memory loss, frontal release signs (grasp, suck, snout), perseveration |
| Facial weakness | Peripheral seventh CN paresis |
| Double vision | Paresis of CNs III, IV, VI |
| Diminished vision | Papilledema, optic atrophy |
| Hearing loss | Eighth CN paresis |
| Arm or leg weakness | Myelopathy or radiculopathy |
| Numbness in arms or legs | Myelopathy or radiculopathy |
| Urinary retention/incontinence | Myelopathy or radiculopathy Frontal lobe dysfunction (hydrocephalus) |
| Clumsiness | Ataxia |
Abbreviation: CN, cranial nerve.