Reactive meningitis is an acute infectious disease that affects the lining of the brain, or spinal cord. Diseases can be affected by people of any age, but most often these are newborn premature babies and patients who have injuries to the head, back, and various lesions of the nervous system.
Reactive meningitis has its own peculiarity. The disease comes unexpectedly, spontaneously. In this form, the meningitis clinic is severe, violent and fleeting.
Reactive meningitis is essentially one of the most dangerous and serious forms of infection. The clinical picture of the disease is extremely fleeting, it is often called fulminant. Medical care for the patient should be urgent, urgent, since many purulent foci appear in his brain area, a person may fall into a coma and die. The consequences of reactive meningitis will not be so serious if doctors begin treatment of the disease within the first 24 hours, however, and they are a threat to human life. With this disease, it is very important to conduct timely diagnosis on the basis of taking lumbar puncture.
Reactive Meningitis, Causes
The causative agent of this infectious disease is, as a rule, meningococcal bacillus. Transmission of a viral infection occurs usually by airborne droplets, from the carrier of infection - a sick person. The source of infection can be found in almost any public place: in the clinic, in the store, or when traveling by public transport. Meningitis can lead to an epidemiological situation among children who attend kindergartens and community events.
The cause of meningitis is meningococcal bacillus, and it can also be an enterovirus infection, or other various viruses. Diseases such as mumps, rubella, and measles can also trigger the development of the disease. At risk are patients who are suffering from otitis media (in acute or chronic form), sinusitis, suffering from lung abscesses, patients with many boils on the face and neck, and other, other diseases.
Reactive meningitis, symptoms
Reactive meningitis manifests itself in the following symptoms: high body temperature (up to 40 degrees), prolonged febrile state, lasting for several days. At the same time, the patient has sharp sore throats, often there are attacks of vomiting, and stiff neck can occur. When the disease is in its initial stages, many people confuse these symptoms with manifestations of respiratory diseases, but reactive meningitis is very transient. Violations occur in the eye, facial muscles, sometimes partial paralysis and deafness develops.
Disease treatment
The treatment of this disease is immediately carried out in the hospital departments. Complex treatment is prescribed, antibacterial therapy, corticosteroids and maintenance therapy are carried out. With timely diagnosis and properly prescribed treatment, you can cope with meningitis. Mortality from this disease is about ten percent of the total number of cases of morbidity.
Antibacterial therapy is based on the empirical prescription of therapeutic drugs, since it is not always possible to determine with precision the nature of the causative agent of this disease. To prevent the reproduction of viruses in the body in the future and to destroy all possible pathogens of the disease, the doctor prescribes one or another antibiotic. The antibacterial course of treatment depends on the patient's condition and the characteristics of his illness.
The percentage of deaths, unfortunately, increases significantly with the late diagnosis of reactive meningitis, as well as if the patients are elderly, weakened people or children.