What is Meningitis? What are the signs and symptoms? How does it spread? What are the causes? All of this answered, in this post and of course our doctors always there to help you. Just fill in your details in the form down below and we will answer all your questions for FREE!
1)What is Meningitis?
Infection initially establishes a localized infection. This is in the form of infection of the skin, nasal, pharynx, respiratory tract, Gastrointestinal tract or genitourinary tract.
2)How does it spread?
Viral as well as bacterial type are contagious via droplet of fluid present in Nose and throat and spreads while sneezing, coughing etc.
3)Who is most commonly affected?
This condition can affect but people who are more prone to it are-
-Infants (6 to 18 months of age).
– Children (Below 5 years).
– Adolescents and young adults.
– Elderly people (low immune function results in meningitis).
– People with illnesses have a compromised immune system.
4)What are the causes of Meningitis?
There are various routes of spread of this infection and is caused by many organisms and are as follows:
– Bacterial
– Tuberculous meningitis
– Viral
– Parasitic
Other factors leading to meningitis are as follows:
- Cancer
- Drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics.
– Inflammatory conditions like sarcoidosis.
– Connective tissue disorders like systemic lupus erythematosus.
- Other conditions like vasculitis and epidermoid cyst.
5)What are the risk factors for meningitis?
Risk factors for the infectious disease include:
– Skipping vaccinations.
– Age. Majority of cases of viral meningitis occur in children younger than age 5. Bacterial type is common in those under age 20.
– Pregnancy:- Listeriosis can be dangerous as it increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature delivery.
– Compromised immune system.
6)What are the sign and symptoms of Meningitis?
The signs and symptoms are as follows:
-Stiff neck occurs in a majority of people with the infection.
-A headache occurs in most of the persons in case of meningitis
– Fever and chills occur in most people with this infectious disease
– Seizures in some cases
– Vomiting may also present
– Extreme sensitivity to bright lights (photophobia)
– Confusion of mind
– Patient having upper respiratory tract infection due to this sore throat and cough problems occur.
– Drowsiness
– joints pain occasionally
7)Is there any type of Meningitis?
There are so many different types of meningitis. Some of the following are:
-Infectious meningitis
-Viral meningitis.
– Bacterial meningitis
– Fungal meningitis
– Parasitic meningitis
– Non-infectious meningitis
The infectious disease can be a result of certain medications like-
– Immune globulin
– Levamisole (Ergamisole)
– Metronidazole (Flagyl)
– Mumps and rubella vaccines
– Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug( NSAIDs)
8)What are the long-term side effects of meningitis?
-Bacterial meningitis and septicemia
– Memory loss/lack of concentration/difficulty retaining information.
– Clumsiness/coordination problems.
– Headaches.
– Deafness/hearing problems/tinnitus/dizziness/loss of balance.
– Epilepsy/seizures.
– Weakness / paralysis / spasms.
– Speech problems.
– Loss of sight or vision problems.
9)Is meningitis is curable?
Yes, in some early diagnosed the treatment will prevent brain damage and death. Bacterial type is treated with intravenous antibiotics. There is no specific antibiotic for bacterial type of this infection. It depends on the bacteria involved.
10)Can Meningitis lead to death?
Maybe, as In some cases, meningitis is a potentially life-threatening infection of the meninges, the tough layer of tissue that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. If not treated timely then, this infectious disease can lead to swelling of the brain and leads to permanent disability, coma, and even death in a few cases.
11)Is a spinal tap painful?
The discomfort associated with a lumbar puncture seems to vary widely from patient to patient. Sometimes the worst part is the pinch felt with the injection of the numbing medicine.
12)How do you get tested from meningitis?
Viral type causes mild symptoms. Lumbar puncture is done to obtain a sample of CSF (cerebrospinal fluid), which is sent to a laboratory to be examined. The fluid is cultured to check for bacteria and thus rule out or confirm the bacterial type.
Blood test to be done include:
• C- reactive protein.
• Complete blood count.
• Blood cultures.
• ESR
Imaging:
• CT scan
• MRI scan is performed to access the complications of meningitis
13)What are the complications of Meningitis?
There are several complications such as-
• septic shock.
• Coma with loss of protective airway reflexes.
• Cerebral edema
• Septic arthritis
• Hemolytic anemia.
• Pericardial effusion
14)What is the prognosis of Meningitis?
In cases of severe meningitis, people may develop neurological defects. Prognosis depends upon the type of pathogen causing infection, duration of infection, the age of the patient, immunity of the patient, severity of the illness.
In severe cases of this infectious disease, it can lead to severe shock and can cause serious complications such as following:
Seizures
Ataxia
Hydrocephalous
Cerebral atrophy
Subdural effusion
Focal paralysis
Cortical blindness
15)Which homeopathic medicines can heal in case of meningitis?
Some homeopathic medicines are the following:
Apis mellifica
Bryonia Alba
Cuprum aceticum
Helleborus Niger
Sulphur
Zincum metallicum
16)How long will take to recover from meningitis?
Majority of cases there is no certain treatment for this disease. People who contract viral infection recover on their own in 7 to 10 days.
17)Which type of meningitis is most deadly?
Viral meningitis is the more common and it is not as serious as other forms are, it usually clears up on its own in 7 to 10 days.
Bacterial meningitis is much more dangerous and can be fatal if not treated timely.
For more information, you can visit CDC and meningitis.org.
