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Isolated De Novo Headache as the Presenting Symptom of Listeria Meningitis: A Report of 2 Cases
Author(s) -
PérezPereda Sara,
GonzálezQuintanilla Vicente,
TorielloSuárez María,
Malet PintosFonseca Ana,
Sánchez Rodríguez Antonio,
Gallo Valentín Daniel,
Pascual Julio
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1111/head.13804
Subject(s) - headaches , medicine , meningitis , lumbar puncture , listeria , pediatrics , lumbar , surgery , cerebrospinal fluid , listeria monocytogenes , bacteria , biology , genetics
Background Headache is a frequent symptom at the onset of Listeria meningitis, accompanied by others such as fever, altered mental status and meningeal signs, but never reported so far as an isolated symptom. Methods and Results Two immunocompetent males, with no history of primary headaches, went to the emergency department because of headache. The first after a sudden severe, holocranial headache without other associated symptoms, and the second after a subacute, moderate oppressive headache in temples, which 8 days later added a mild left hemiparesis. None of them had fever or meningeal signs. The initial cranial CT was unremarkable in both cases. Lumbar puncture was diagnostic for Listeria meningitis serotype IVb. Conclusions Listeria meningitis may present as an isolated headache, with different clinical patterns, which should be taken into account when evaluating de novo unclassified headaches according to the ICHD‐3 criteria.