Aseptic meningitis previously has been seen after administration of sulindac, tolmetin, and ibuprofen only in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or mixed connective tissue disease (1-8). This report describes a case of recurrent aseptic meningitis caused by sulindac in a woman without demonstrable systemic rheumatic disease.
First Episode: A 72-year-old woman with hypertension, hypothyroidism, and pernicious anemia was given sulindac for osteoarthritis of the knees. Four months later, in December 1979, she was hospitalized with fever and headache. Her spinal fluid was clear with the leukocyte count, 245/mm3 (89% polymorphonuclear cells, 11% mononuclear cells); protein, 88 mg/dL; and glucose, 56