An Acute Ibuprofen Overdose Masking a Severe Staphylococcus aureus Meningitis: A Case Report.

Acute bacterial meningitis has a low incidence (3/100,000 in the United States) and yet high fatality rate (approximately 14-16%) and classically presents as a triad of fever, neck stiffness, and altered mental status. However, less than half of patients with meningitis present with this classic triad. We present the clinical course of a patient who initially presented to the emergency department after overdosing on ibuprofen for what he described as back pain secondary to mechanical injury.