Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes of the brain (brain and spinal cord) that has developed under the influence of bacteria or viruses. It is believed that this is a childhood disease. Since a powerful blood-brain barrier is created with age, which is very difficult for infectious agents to overcome, symptoms of meningitis in adults are rare. But the ailment can still develop as a result of another infectious disease.
Symptoms of Meningitis in Adults
The disease usually begins rapidly. First, muscle pains, general weakness, fever are felt. In case of excitation of meningitis with pneumococcus, the patient develops a runny nose, meningococcus - a rash. Paramyxovirus infects the salivary glands, and enterovirus infects the intestines. The characteristic symptoms of meningitis in adults are a dispersed, growing headache and increased skin sensitivity. Later, nausea, vomiting. The pain in the head becomes so intense that sometimes a person cannot tolerate it. It is further enhanced by the action of sound and visual stimuli when the patient tries to change the position of the body.
Symptoms of meningitis in adults progress extremely quickly, in just one day the condition can become extremely serious. The patient’s consciousness becomes foggy and confused, over time it becomes a stupor and even to whom. High temperature persists, accompanied by increased sweating and chills. Meningitis is very dangerous! The consequences in adults of such a disease can be tragic - it is possible to develop cerebral edema, which blocks blood flow and causes symptoms similar to a stroke. Death is not excluded. During the examination, the infectious disease specialist will pay attention to the fact that the patient is unable to move his neck and tilt his head forward - these are the signs that indicate the presence of inflammation in the meninges.
Meningococcal meningitis
Most often, the infection is transmitted through saliva by sneezing or coughing an infected person. A characteristic symptom of this type of disease, as already mentioned, is a rash of hemorrhagic nature, manifested in the form of dense stars of different sizes. In case of complications, epileptic seizures can occur.
Pneumococcal meningitis
It occurs in most cases against the background of complications of mastoiditis, pneumonia, and otitis media. A herpetic rash appears on the oral mucosa a couple of days after infection, in some cases it can be observed on the arms and trunk. Without adequate treatment, on the fifth day from the beginning of the pathological process, the patient may die.
Purulent meningitis
It is often provoked by a hemophilic bacillus, it can develop due to acute sinusitis, otitis media, fracture of the skull bones. It may be accompanied by arterial thrombosis, an increase in intracranial pressure, epileptic seizures. A person who has been ill with them may still have neurological and intellectual disorders.
Enterovirus meningitis
This type of disease is diagnosed most often, the virus enters the body through the digestive tract. Symptoms usually begin to appear on the second day of the development of the disease. There is a headache, but it is not as intense as, for example, with purulent meningitis.
Treatment
Measures must be taken urgently. An ambulance doctor who arrives on a call must immediately inject a person with an antibiotic from the group of penicillins, macrolides or cephalosporins, and then take him to the hospital, to the infectious ward. In the hospital, antibiotics will also be injected every four hours to normalize the patient's condition. After stabilization of the state, the course of drug administration is continued in accordance with the doctor's instructions.
Adult Meningitis Prevention
Vaccination can reduce the likelihood of developing this serious illness. Do not drink raw tap water, temper, consume vitamins, walk more in the fresh air, play sports.