Meningitis Symptoms

Meningitis, Meningitis symptoms

Meningitis often begins acutely, more rarely - gradually (tuberculous, fungal); meningitis is usually preceded by fever, weakness, pain in muscles and the characteristics of a specific pathogen:

when meningococcus - rashes, when pnevmococcus - runny nose, pneumonia, otitis, when parotitis - lesion of salivary lands, when enterovirus - bowel disorder.

The most visible sign of meningitis is headache pain spilled nature, which is growing rapidly, and reaches such intensity that adult patients whimper and children screaming and crying. Soon begins nausea and vomiting, lasting many times.

Headache pain increases with the changing body pose, from the audio and visual stimuli. There is increased sensitivity of the skin. The state of the adult can dramatically deteriorate within 24 hours, and in a child - even faster. Adolescents and adults appear irritability, confusion, and then increasing sleepiness, which can go into sopor and coma. The disease leads to brain edema and prevents the blood, causing symptoms similar to symptoms of stroke, including paralysis.

fungal, headache pain, Meningitis, Meningitis symptoms

If the diagnosis or meningitis treatment is late (visit your doctor if there are any of meningitis symptoms), the possibility of irreversible brain damage and even death is increasing, especially among very young children and the elderly. In most cases, patients recover completely, but some develop convulsive attacks, which require prolonged treatment.

The consequence of meningitis may be an irreversible deterioration of intellectual function and paralysis.

About one-third of adults have experienced bacterial meningitis may experience weakening of mental function. About four out of six cases of meningitis developed as a result of bacterial infections. Scientists assessed the cognitive output of the 155 adults that had bacterial meningitis, and compared its performance with 72 healthy “control” subjects.

Neurophysiologic tests revealed deterioration of brain function in 32% of patients compared to 5.5% in the control group. There is no connection between brain function and time elapsed since the recovery after meningitis had been found. As a result, further analysis of data, scientists have identified two additional factors affecting the state of cognitive function - the patient’s sex, and intracranial nerve damage. The risk of meningitis has increased in three and five times respectively.

bacterial meningitis, brain damage, Meningitis, mental function, paralysis

Treatment is carried out only in a hospital (you should call a doctor if you have any meningitis symptoms). As bacterial meningitis (especially caused by meningococcus) can lead to death within a few hours, there should be urgent medical attention. Wanton temperature increase in the body in children under 2 years required immediate full medical examination, especially if the child is becoming more and more irritable or unusually sleepy, refuses to eat, if he is vomiting, cramps or stiff neck develops.

If the treatment started immediately, death occurs only in 10% of patients with bacterial meningitis. After treatment the patients should be supervised by neurologist.

Convalescent needed to avoid unnecessary physical and emotional pressures, prolonged sun exposure, excess fluid admission, limit the amount of salt, to exclude the use of alcohol.

bacterial meningitis, Meningitis, Meningitis treatment

In 80% cases the main reasons, caused meningitis, are three types of bacteria: Neisseria meningitidis, Nemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Normally they exist in the environment and may even be present in the human upper respiratory tract, causing no harm.

But sometimes, these micro-organisms, without apparent reason, infect the brain. In other cases meningitis developed after head trauma or a consequence of immune system weakening.

Most often it affects people, who abuse alcohol, post-splenectomy (removal of the spleen) or pneumococcal pneumonia, as well as with chronic inflammatory diseases of the ear and nose, or sickle cell anemia.

More rarely, other types of bacteria cause meningitis too. Among them, Escherichia coif, normally present in feces, and Klebsiella. Diseases caused by these bacteria, often developing after head injuries, operations on the brain and spinal cord, or as a result of sepsis, as well as represent infections acquired in hospital.

These diseases are most prevalent in people with damaged immune systems. For those who have renal insufficiency or taking corticosteroids, increased risk of meningitis caused by other bacteria - Listeria.

Meningitis is more common in children at an early age and is rare for adults, if there are no special risk factors. However, among people living in close contact, such as in military camps and hostels, there may be outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis epidemics and other infections.

head trauma, Meningitis, reasons