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Fungal infections and parasites can also cause meningitis. Fungal infections and parasites typically present with a more chronic, slowly-developing meningitis, but the symptoms can progress to a severe headache, neck stiffness, nausea, and vomiting. Antifungal and antiparasitic treatments are available and require hospitalization. For some fungal infections, people require long-term antifungal medication to keep suppressing the fungus. People with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of developing fungal meningitis. Conditions such as diabetes, HIV, or cancer treatments which suppress the immune system can increase your risk of developing fungal meningitis. Chronic meningitis is development of meningitis symptoms over the course of several weeks. Chronic meningitis is often not due to an infection and a person does not have a fever with chronic meningitis. The symptoms are milder and longer lasting. In some cases, medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can cause inflammation of the meninges, leading to a more chronic meningitis. In some cases, the exact cause cannot be identified. Typically people with chronic meningitis will recover on their own, but the recovery can take much longer than with viral and bacterial infections.
