Meningitis in adults: symptoms, causes, treatment, prevention

Meningitis is an acute infection, an inflammatory process, as a result of which the lining of the brain and spinal cord is affected. Some hundred years ago, such a diagnosis sounded like a sentence, but fortunately, medicine does not stand still, and in our time it can be cured. Sometimes the symptoms of the disease are erased, and the change in well-being is insignificant, but more often meningitis manifests itself already at the first stage of the disease, which makes it necessary to immediately seek help from a doctor.

The causes of meningitis

Children and young people are most susceptible to infection, however, pathology is also found in the elderly, because they immunity weakened and the situation is aggravated by chronic diseases. Therefore, this category is at risk, for people over 55 years of age there is the greatest probability of death. Medical workers, knowing the state of affairs, carry out additional preventive measures and contribute to the early diagnosis of the disease. Armed with information, a potential patient seeks advice on time, which helps to avoid fatal consequences.

The main causative agents of meningitis in adults are bacteria, viruses and fungus. The situation is aggravated by bad habits, hypothermia, chronic diseases, reduced immunity. In terms of the bacterial form, the most common microorganism that infects the brain is meningococcus. Gram-negative diplococcus, entering the human body, causes the development of meningococcal infection.

Another cause of the pathology is enterovirus infection, which can develop against the background of measles, mumps and chickenpox (which is more common in children).

Doctors identify several ways of transmission of harmful bacteria and viruses:

• if hygiene rules are not followed, pathogens enter the body due to unwashed hands by the oral route;
• if you are near a sick person, he can infect you with airborne droplets;
• during childbirth or in the womb.

Types of meningitis

At the moment, there are a huge number of types of meningitis, which differ according to the following criteria:

1. Purulent and serous meningitis is distinguished according to the characteristics of the inflammatory process. When taking an analysis, the cerebrospinal fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) will turn out to be cloudy, yellowish or greenish, which occurs when pneumococcus is affected. In this case, the membranes of the brain are covered with pus. Serous cerebrospinal fluid practically does not differ from normal; externally, the disease can be determined by the swollen membranes.
2. By origin, primary and secondary meningitis are isolated (the infection enters the brain from another focus of inflammation).
3. By the nature of the course, meningitis can be acute (has bright symptoms), subacute (more blurred symptoms than in acute), chronic (if the disease is not treated for more than 4 weeks) and fulminant (high temperature, intoxication, loss of consciousness). In this situation, everything depends on pathogen.
4. By etiology, there are bacterial, fungal, viral, protozoal (pathogen-intracellular parasite) and mixed.
5. By localization, basal meningitis is distinguished (the process develops in the lower part of the head), convexital (the front part of the head is affected) and spinal (pathology develops in the spinal cord).

Symptoms of meningitis in adults

Even before the manifestations of general cerebral symptoms, during the first days and even hours of infection, the patient can observe:

• a serious increase in body temperature;
• the patient is not pleasant to touch the skin all over the body;
• a person does not want to communicate with anyone, there is a desire to retire.

The most important symptom that characterizes meningitis is a severe headache, and pain sensations appear constantly and throughout the entire area, not concentrating in the temples or the back of the head. Many patients find that this is the most intense headache they have ever felt, it cannot be confused with anything else.

In combination with fever, pain is very exhausting for a person and cannot be eliminated by any drugs. There is an increased pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid, which even more affects the lining of the brain, there is a strong, sudden vomiting in a fountain, which has nothing to do with food intake and does not bring relief.

Any attempt to change the position of the head, rise or lie down increases pain, bringing the patient to a semi-conscious state. Aggravates the situation of aches throughout the body, pressure on the eyeballs

A rash may appear, which means that the infection was due to the defeat of pneumococcus.

If you do not take any measures, in the future, the patient's symptoms will worsen, cerebral edema will occur and the person will fall into a coma.

Meningitis treatment

Meningitis is diagnosed with a lumbar puncture (puncture) so you can determine the cause. Also, the pathogen is detected using the analysis of nasopharyngeal mucus.

Despite the fact that meningitis is considered a dangerous disease with the risk of serious complications, the patient is not always hospitalized, it all depends on the type of disease. With viral meningitis, the patient feels satisfactory, treatment is most often carried out at home. Antibiotics in this case are powerless, the doctor prescribes paracetamol-based drugs to relieve pain.

Patients with bacterial or fungal meningitis are hospitalized for short or long periods, depending on the condition. First, broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed, and then drugs are specified to act on a specific pathogen.

Supporting methods are intravenous water-salt balance maintenance and diuretic drugs to relieve edema. Blood pressure is constantly monitored.

Contagious whether meningitis

Bacterial meningitis presents by myself the most great danger at defeat shell brain.
Exists two the way infestations and development of this diseases:

1. When primary meningitis pathogen is an meningococcus or Pneumococcus. More often Total microbe falls in organism human airy—drip by  from human healthy (mostly children), but carrier bacteria, which are in slime nasopharynx and carried over at cough, sneezing. Can « hook it up» affliction and on other contact with sickmeningitis, but only if a pathology caused by meningococcus.
2. When secondary meningitis bacteria of hearth inflammation together from shocked blood carried over to brain. it can will happen at purulent otitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, sepsis, pneumonia. Than nearer purulent process located to brain, themes more probability of it infestations. When this healthy human can not worry, secondary meningitis not dangerous for surrounding.

Viral meningitis flows not in such acute form, as bacterial, but, ways get viral disease  much more.

• airy—drip by at contact from sick enterovirus, smallpox, mumps and even the usual herpes;
• at non-compliance rules hygiene, through dirty hands, untreated products in large clusters the people, hostels, barracks;
• virus herpes can Sothe same be transmitted in time sexual act;
• in some cases child can get infected in womb mothers or in time childbirth.

Fungal meningitis can to arise only at human from unhealthy immune system, eg, after course chemotherapy or at defeat HIV.

Prophylaxis meningitis

IN group risk by disease meningitis are included:

• elderly people;
• suffering alcoholism;
• children before 5 years, teenagers, young people before 25 years;
• those, Who located in close contact from viral and infectious sick;
• cancer patients;
• people with reduced immunity;
• the patients after operational interference, transplant organs;
• sick diabetes,  anemic, HIV;
• people from cranially—brain injuries.

Shield myself from infestations viruses and bacteria not difficult, is worth only follow row simple rules:

1. If a in your surrounded by there is sick meningitis, necessary immediately deliver his in medical facility for diagnostics and treatment... When contact to avoid not succeeds, thoroughly do regulations hygiene.
2. If a in location your his residence emerged flash enteroviral meningitis, try less visit public places, always wash hands before reception food, process fruits and vegetables. When the need wear protective wadded—gauze bandage.
3. IN some cases at close contact from sick bacterial meningitis a doctor appointed course antibiotics.
4. Support healthy form life, so that immunity not gave glitches.