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Meningitis is an contagion of the protective membranes that cover thebrainand spinal corduroy , which are call the meninges .
The malady is commonly cause by a bacterial or viral infection . In uncommon cases , a fungus , parasite or amoeba may also do meningitis . There are noninfectious causes of meningitis , too , such as some malignant neoplastic disease , lupus , head trauma or brain surgery , according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) .
The signature symptoms of meningitis are headache, sudden fever and a stiff neck.
People of any age can get meningitis , and those affected typically have a fever and a bad worry . And because the lining of the brainiac and spinal cord become heat , the cervix swell , triggering a tight cervix , said Dr. Paul Sax , an infective disease specializer at Brigham and Women ’s Hospital in Boston .
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The symptom of meningitis can vary quite widely in their hardness , Sax said . Almost all mass say they are tired , do n’t find right and ca n’t opine flat , and some types of meningitis may do a red rash on the torso , he tell .
The most common mannikin of the disease in the United States is viral meningitis , which is usually less severe than meningitis caused bybacteria . Bacterial meningitis is very serious and can be deadly but is fairly uncommon in the U.S. , Sax told Live Science , and is more common in a region known as the ' meningitis belt ' in sub - Saharan Africa .
About 3,000 masses in the U.S. are diagnose with bacterial meningitis each year , and most of them are babe , children , college students and older adult , according toBoston Children ’s Hospital . Between 10 % to 15 % of those who undertake bacterial meningitis pass from the infection .
Causes and risk factors
Bacterial meningitis can be spread by coming into impinging with an infected person ’s respiratory or throat secretion through coughing , sneezing , kissing or sharing food , drinks and rust utensils .
Teens and new adult , such as pupil in college dorms or military barrack , may be at higher risk for bacterial meningitis because of their social interactions and from live in close contact with one another .
Four of the most vernacular bacteria species that cause meningitis include :
The most vulgar cause of viral meningitis in the U.S. is non - polio enteroviruses , according to the CDC . Otherviruses , such as the ones that causemumps , herpes andchickenpox , rubeola , flu and mosquito - transmitted arboviruses ( likeWest Nile computer virus ) , can also cause the infection .
These viruses are found in the throat and feces of infected people . mass can spread viral meningitis to others by coughing or sneezing , or by coming into contact lens with feces , such as when a person is changing a diaper or a dirty sheet .
People can develop fungous meningitis , which is rarified in the U.S. , when they breathe in fungal spores that live in soil or on decaying wood , or spore found in bird or bat muck . The illness is almost always seen in those with damp resistant systems due to HIV or organ transplant , for example , Sax said .
Symptoms of meningitis
Some of the other signs of meningitis may come on suddenly and resemble the flu . Symptoms of bacterial meningitis commonly show up three to seven days after a individual is expose to the contagion , harmonize to the CDC .
Bacterial meningitis symptoms may admit :
A crimson or purple skin rash may come out with meningococcal meningitis as the disease march on .
sign of bacterial meningitis in baby may include :
Other forms of meningitis have similar symptoms to those listed above .
Diagnosis and treatment
The key diagnostic run for evaluating meningitis is a spinal water tap ( lumbar puncture ) , Sax said . This test extracts a sample of fluid surrounding the spinal cord to analyze whether the cause of meningitis is bacterial , viral or fungal . symptomatic tests have significantly improved over the age — they are better at detect the cause of meningitis and can provide results in just a few hour , he say .
Brain imaging test , such as aCT scanor anMRI , may also help MD detect whether there is brain inflaming .
Bacterial meningitis is a serious sickness that requires hospitalization , and its symptoms can rapidly become life story - threatening without prompt antibiotic discourse , according to the Mayo Clinic .
fortuitously , there are antibiotics that are very combat-ready against bacterial meningitis , Sax say . When a person is suspected of having meningitis , that individual is start on a broad - spectrum antibiotic , which can aim many mintage of bacteria , and when the exact cause of the infection is determined , discussion is changed to a narrow , more specific antibiotic .
Most masses recover from bacterial meningitis , but some individuals may evolve permanent complications , such as brain hurt , take heed red ink , check disabilities and memory problem as a resolution of the contagion , according to the CDC .
There is no specific treatment for viral meningitis other than rest , fluids and over - the - counter botheration relievers . Most the great unwashed with the mild form of the viral infection recover within seven to 10 days , according to the CDC .
Fungal meningitis is treated with high doses of fungicidal medications that are often given intravenously .
Prevention
There are very goodvaccinesthat can preclude some of the most common grounds of bacterial meningitis , Sax said . One of the great progression in paediatric medicine has been the development of theH. influenzaetype b vaccine ( Hib ) , which has almost completely eliminated this form of bacterial meningitis in children in the U.S. , he said .
According to Boston Children ’s Hospital , the following vaccinum can help foreclose bacterial meningitis :
Two other vaccine , serogroup B meningococcal vaccineand pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccinum 23 - valent , may be urge for fry or adult at high endangerment for developing meningitis .
Most of the virus that cause viral meningitis are not preventable by vaccine . The just elbow room to prevent viral meningitis are keep back salubrious and practicing just hygiene , according to the CDC .
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