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Meningitis is an infection of the lining (meninges) and the fluid that cover the outside of the brain and spinal cord. The infection can spread into the brain tissue and cause brain damage in about 10% of cases. The disease is fatal in another 10% of cases. A viral form of meningitis exists but is generally less serious.
Incidence; Causes & Development
In 2003, meningitis was affecting about 3,000 people in the United States each year, and the number of cases in those aged 15 to 24 had nearly doubled in the previous 10 years.
There are two main causes:- Viral meningitis - there are several viruses that can cause viral meningitis, which is not treatable with antibiotics. It is a seasonal illness, with most cases occurring during the summer and early fall. It can be just as painful as bacterial meningitis, but is usually not as serious or damaging.
- Bacterial meningitis - this is caused by several different bacteria. Pneumococcus and E. Coli are common in infants and children. Meningococcus is common in college students or military personnel living in dorms. These are treatable with IV antibiotics, but sometimes cause brain damage even if treated early.
Meningococcal bacteria are around us all the time. Even healthy people may have the bacteria in their nose or throat, and usually this does not cause disease. In rare cases, the bacteria can get into the blood or brain, and cause serious illness.
Meningococcal bacteria are carried in saliva or droplets from the nose of an infected person. Sneezing, coughing, kissing, or sharing cigarettes, food, drinks, or other things that contain saliva can all help to pass the bacteria from one person to another. From the time the bacteria get into a person's mouth or nose, it may take from two to ten days for the person to become sick. The average time is three to four days.
Many people will get the bacteria when they are children and will develop life-long protection by the time they are teenagers.
Signs & Symptoms
The main symptoms are:- Fever - will usually be high, over 103°F.
- Severe headache - this is not a typical headache; it is extremely painful. It occurs because the infected lining of the brain gets severely inflamed.
- Vomiting - the irritation in the brain triggers persistent vomiting (more than just a few times).
- Neck pain and stiffness - this does NOT mean sore throat pain in the front of the neck. It refers to severe pain in back of the neck. Looking down at your stomach (stretching the back of your neck) will cause severe pain. Some kids will refuse to even look down at all. They will keep their neck rigidly stiff. This occurs because the lining of the spinal cord is connected to the lining of the brain. When this infected and inflamed lining is stretched by looking down, it causes severe pain.
- Photophobia - this means that light hurts your eyes. Meningitis will cause someone to refuse to look into light, especially the bright sunlight.
In infants, you cannot determine if they have neck stiffness because they are too young to communicate this. Severe, inconsolable irritability and/or lethargy (meaning limp, lifeless, won't open eyes to focus on you) are signs of any severe infection, including meningitis.
If there is infection in the blood, a purplish skin rash that looks like bruising may also occur. By the time this rash appears the infection is very serious and the person must be treated as soon as possible.
Diagnosis & Tests
If the doctor decides that there is a chance of meningitis being present, the doctor will recommend a spinal tap. There is no way to diagnose meningitis without a spinal tap.
Complications
Severe cases - especially those untreated or treated too late - can cause deafness, paralysis, and mental retardation.
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Signs, symptoms & indicators of Meningitis:
Conditions that suggest Meningitis: | | | | | Aging |  Hearing Loss | Meningitis can cause sensorineural hearing loss. |
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Risk factors for Meningitis:
KEY | | Weak or unproven link |  | | Strong or generally accepted link |
GLOSSARY
Bacteria (Bacterial, Bacterium)
Microscopic germs. Some bacteria are "harmful" and can cause disease, while other "friendly" bacteria protect the body from harmful invading organisms.
Bruise (Bruised, Bruising)
Injury producing a hematoma or diffuse extravasation of blood without breaking the skin.
Intravenous Infusion (IV)
A small needle placed in the vein to assist in fluid replacement or the giving of medication.
Saliva (Salivary)
The watery mixture of secretions from the salivary and oral mucous glands that lubricates chewed food and moistens the oral walls.
Spinal Tap (Lumbar Puncture)
Despite the discomfort felt by many over this procedure, spinal taps are actually very simple procedures from the doctor's standpoint. Because the fluid that coats and flows through the brain also flows down into the spinal cord, the spinal fluid reflects what is occurring in the brain. A spinal tap involves: numbing the skin over the lower part of the spine with an injection or cream; sterilizing the area; having the patient curl up on his side while being held securely; passing a needle through the skin at a large space in between two of the lower vertebrae (the needle does NOT pass through bone); slowly advancing the needle until it "pops" through the lining of the spinal canal into an area of spinal fluid (the needle does NOT go into the spinal cord where the nerves are because the spinal cord stops further up the spine: the bottom of the spine simply contains a reservoir of spinal fluid); spinal fluid will flow out through the needle and the doctor will collect it and send it to the lab. Once the needle is pulled out, the hole seals up rapidly.
Stomach
A hollow, muscular, J-shaped pouch located in the upper part of the abdomen to the left of the midline. The upper end (fundus) is large and dome-shaped; the area just below the fundus is called the body of the stomach. The fundus and the body are often referred to as the cardiac portion of the stomach. The lower (pyloric) portion curves downward and to the right and includes the antrum and the pylorus. The function of the stomach is to begin digestion by physically breaking down food received from the esophagus. The tissues of the stomach wall are composed of three types of muscle fibers: circular, longitudinal and oblique. These fibers create structural elasticity and contractibility, both of which are needed for digestion. The stomach mucosa contains cells which secrete hydrochloric acid and this in turn activates the other gastric enzymes pepsin and rennin. To protect itself from being destroyed by its own enzymes, the stomach’s mucous lining must constantly regenerate itself.
Virus (Viri, Viruses)
Any of a vast group of minute structures composed of a protein coat and a core of DNA and/or RNA that reproduces in the cells of the infected host. Capable of infecting all animals and plants, causing devastating disease in immunocompromised individuals. Viruses are not affected by antibiotics, and are completely dependent upon the cells of the infected host for the ability to reproduce.
Last updated: Jun 01, 2008
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