Meningitis

Meningitis exists in various forms, but in each form it can be basically described as a viral or bacterial inflammation, or infection, of the Meninges, a thin protective sheath encasing the brain and spinal cord. Sometimes it is deadly; other times not. But in all cases, Meningitis is a serious matter and should be countered by medical specialists immediately.

Of all the different types—Bacterial Meningitis, Viral Meningitis, Fungal Meningitis, Cryptococcal Meningitis, Spiral Meningitis, Meningococcal Meningitis—Bacterial Meningitis is by far the most serious. This is one condition that requires medical attention just as the first signs appear because it can become quite nasty, and many cases wind up resulting in death. The history of Meningitis shows us examples of this. Viral Meningitis, on the other hand, does not have a high mortality rate, but it can be scary. Other types of Meningitis show both similar and uniquely different characteristics than these two.

Symptoms of Meningitis vary, depending on the type and severity of the condition. Many general or common symptoms include: high fever and chills, pounding headaches, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to both light and sound, drowsiness, confusion, twitching, opisthicotonus (hypertension that causes a stiff, arched neck), delirium (especially in children), irritability, and seizures, which occurs in approximately 20%-to-40% of all those individuals who are inflicted. Anyone diagnosed with having any Meningitis symptoms will find it not a very good sign; symptoms of Meningitis usually indicate rough time ahead for victims, especially for those individuals who exhibit Bacterial Meningitis symptoms. In fact, some published Meningitis Bacterial pictures shows ugly symptoms.

Some animal species can contract Meningitis as well. Meningitis in dogs, otherwise known as Canine Meningitis, for example, can be quite uncomfortable for the animal.

The causes of Meningitis are usually viral and bacterial intrusions, which can start as an infection anywhere in the body and spread. Other common instigators include protozoa, parasites, infective agents, medication that does not agree with a particular person’s biology, Systemic Lupus, Erythematosus, and Cancer. These would likely seem to apply to the animals as well.

Treatment for Meningitis typically involves drug ingestion or injections of some sort, but this is contingent on the type of Meningitis a person has contracted. Treatment for Bacterial Meningitis, for instance, require empiric antibiotics, such as Vancomicin and Carbapenem, to be administered around the same time as a lumbar puncture test is taken to ascertain the type and severity level of the disease. The Viral Meningitis, which is resistant to antibiotics, suggests the use of fluids, bed rest (preferably in a dark, quiet room due to light sensitivity), and analgesic agents to combat pain and fever. Anticonvulsants are quite common to avert possible seizures. Other types of Meningitis will likely have somewhat different treatment plans, but rest assured that medicinal solutions will be employed.

Meningitis is not to be toyed with under any circumstances. If one exhibits any of the above-mentioned symptoms and suspects the presence of this disease, a prompt visit to the doctor is strongly suggested.