Sep 8, 2025
Contributor: Travis Barlock MD
Educational Pearls:
- Meningitis retention syndrome is a relatively novel and rare clinical condition
- Aseptic meningitis + acute urinary retention
- One study reports an incidence of about 8% in patients with acute aseptic meningitis
- Clinical presentation
- Typical meningeal symptoms including fever, stiff neck, and headache
- Urinary retention occurs about one week after initial symptoms
- Potential pathophysiology
- Immune-mediated dysfunction of the central nervous system
- Detrusor muscle underactivity from inflammation of the spinal cord
- Management
- Supportive care
- Bladder decompression
References
- Hiraga A, Kuwabara S. Meningitis-retention syndrome: Clinical features, frequency and prognosis. J Neurol Sci. 2018;390:261-264. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2018.05.008
- Pellegrino F, Funiciello E, Pruccoli G, et al. Meningitis-retention syndrome: a review and update of an unrecognized clinical condition. Neurol Sci. 2023;44(6):1949-1957. doi:10.1007/s10072-023-06704-0
