Meningitis is accompanied by an inflammatory process in the membranes of the spinal cord or brain. Such a disease can occur for various reasons, and the rate of its progression may also vary in each case. Nevertheless, this is an extremely dangerous disease, since the mortality rate here is from 10 to 20%.
Meningitis: what is the disease and what are its causes?
As already mentioned, meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges - it can be a hard or arachnoid membrane, but most often the disease affects the soft layers. The cause of the disease is an infection - most often these are viruses and bacterial microorganisms. Meningitis disease is usually divided into two forms, depending on the source of infection:
- The primary form develops as a result of infection from the outside. In this case, pathogenic microorganisms most often enter the membrane of the brain through the nasopharynx. Meningitis is sometimes the result of severe head injuries or open fractures of the skull. By the way, sick people are the source of bacteria and viruses.
- Secondary meningitis is a complication of some other serious infectious disease, such as sore throat, sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, acute or chronic inflammation of the ear, diseases of the teeth, gums, etc.
Meningitis: signs of the disease
In most cases, the disease begins suddenly, and its first symptoms resemble an ordinary cold. Patients complain of weakness, pain and muscle aches, lack of appetite, and a strong fever. But as the disease progresses, other more specific symptoms appear that cannot be overlooked. And one of them is a headache, which is diffuse. Every day, the intensity of the pain intensifies - it simply cannot be sustained. Discomfort increases significantly when the patient tries to turn his head, press his chin to his chest. Attacks of pain can also provoke some external irritants, such as loud noise.
Migraines are often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, which, unfortunately, does not bring any relief. Sometimes the infection affects the cranial nerves, which leads to the development of slight strabismus. In some forms of meningitis, a small rash of dark cherry color appears on the body, which disappears by itself after a few days.
Meningitis Disease: Treatment Methods
A person with these symptoms needs to be rushed to the hospital. The disease meningitis is extremely dangerous, so the patient is subject to immediate hospitalization. Several tests are done to confirm the diagnosis, in particular, cerebrospinal fluid sampling is performed.
It is worth noting that it is not always possible to accurately determine the nature of the pathogen. Therefore, antibiotics are used for treatment - in most cases, it is penicillin or cephalosporin. Drugs are administered intramuscularly or intravenously, less commonly, by puncture directly into the cerebrospinal fluid. Some other drugs are also used to help avoid complications. For example, at risk of developing cerebral edema, a patient is prescribed diuretics.
As a rule, the course of treatment lasts at least 3 weeks. And for several months the patient is advised to rest, although this issue is decided individually by the doctor.