Meningitis,Causes and Treatments

Meningitis is an inflammation of the tissue surrounding the brain. While some types of meningitis cause just mild, flu like symptoms, others are serious enough to cause death within several hours. Some children, although not becoming ill, may carry the virus causing meningitis; contagious to others through respiratory secretions. The most common types of the disease are viral and bacterial, with different strains of each resulting from multiple causes. Since each type can begin with the same symptoms, it is important to seek medical help as soon as possible for an accurate diagnosis.

Teenagers are dying from Meningitis (Meningococcal disease) even though it is a rare disease. If one teenager dies it is one to many. But it is not one teenager that is getting the disease or dying.  It may be hard to believe since we really don't hear about this disease much but  over 3000 teenagers or young adults will get this illness each year and of them three hundred will have their lives cut short.  They will somehow, somewhere pick up this little bacteria and get meningitis and sometimes within 48 hours of contracting this terrible disease they will die.

Meningitis is a common name for infections that take place in the membranes (called meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis can be caused by bacteria or virus. One of the most serious forms of meningitis is caused by bacteria known as meningococci.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes which blanket both the brain and spinal cord. The usual cause for the disease is a virus or bacteria, but there are some medications and illnesses that can induce meningitis. It is highly communicable; therefore it is common within those who are in close quarters with a number of people for extended periods of time. This would include young children, teens and college students. Preventative measures are always recommended; immunizations for the disease are available and recommended for children, and good hygiene habits of hand washing can inhibit the spread of bacteria. One note to remember is that while immunization is available, it may not prevent all forms of meningitis.

Causes

From the two forms of meningitis there are two major forms of this disease. Bacterial and viral meningitis. Viral meningitis is most common but less severe and stems from drowsiness to headache; rarely lead to coma. Bacterial meningitis is not so common but more severe and leads to coma. There are three main causes of bacterial meningitis and they include meningococcal group C, Homophiles influenza type B (HIB) and pneumococcus (streptococcus pneumociae.

The consequences of meningitis can be fatal. Where meningitis is suspected immediate medical treatment should be sought from a GP or hospital. The three most critical signs suggestive of the early on set of meningitis are a high fever/ temperature, neck stiffness and altered mental state which results in a patient being confused and disorientated. Other symptoms may also include photophobia (pain when looking at bright light), intense headache, vomiting, limb or joint pain and a rash. In the later stages of the development of meningitis more severe symptoms may be present including blurred vision, loss of hearing, seizures and loss of consciousness.

Meningitis infection can develop very rapidly. It is crucial that antibiotics are started as soon as possible to give the patient the best possible chance of full recovery. Antibiotics work by killing the bacteria affecting the meninges and reducing the oedema (swelling) and inflammation which causes pressure on the brain. A delay of even a few hours in starting antibiotics to treat the infection can be critical and sometimes even fatal. As meningitis infection the brain, it can cause severe neurological disability. Meningitis often causes a raise in intra-cranial pressure.

Treatments

It was sometimes thought that there is a true entry of the tubercle bacilli from this 'tuberculoma' into the subarachnoid space. The author discussed this aspect in detail with related case reports, with Dr. William Boyd (Canada), a renowned pathologist, who has also written Text Book of Pathology as well as Pathology for the Physician. In one of his communications to the author, while finally approving that there is indeed a rupture of tuberculoma into the subarachnoid space, he wrote, "Needless to say,

Bacterial meningitis is less common than viral meningitis but is usually much more serious and can be life-threatening if not treated promptly. Many different types of bacteria can cause meningitis: Group B Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes are the most common causes of meningitis in newborns. It's also possible to get viral meningitis as a complication of chickenpox, but this is also very rare in healthy kids.

I was most interested in your case of focal epilepsy followed by tuberculous meningitis. It seems to me that your idea of a tuberculoma rupturing and discharging bacilli into the subarachnoid space is the most reasonable one". In the case of the patient, discussed with Dr. Boyd, the patient developed focal epilepsy as a result of tuberculoma in the brain, and thus primarily presented the signs and symptoms of epilepsy, and later, as a case of tuberculous meningitis after the probable rupture of tuberculoma into the subarachnoid space.

Dura mater, a parchment-like membrane, lies on the outermost part of the meninges and adheres to the skull and spinal canal. The cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) is the fluid that circulates in the spaces in and around the brain and spinal cord. In the past, most meningitis cases occurred in children younger than 5 years. But as a result of the protection offered by current childhood vaccines, most meningitis cases now occur in young people between the ages of 15 and 24. Older also tend to have a higher incidence of meningitis than do young children.



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