A 19-year-old college student is brought to the emergency department with a severe headache he describes as, "Like nothing I've ever had before." His temperature is 40° C, and he has a stiff neck.The nurse recognizes that he needs testing for:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The acute onset of neck stiffness and pain along with headache and fever occurs with meningeal inflammation.A severe headache in an adult or child who has never had it before is a red flag.Head injury and cluster or migraine headaches are not associated with a fever or stiff neck.

A 19-Year-Old College Student Is Brought to the Emergency Department