Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

WHO launches drive to fight bacterial meningitis in Africa

The World Health Organization on Thursday said it is launching a $1.5 billion campaign, hopefully including a new vaccine, to eliminate outbreaks of bacterial meningitis across Africa by 2030.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

What new college students should know about bacterial meningitis

As students head off to college, close quarters in new spaces could put them at risk for contagious illnesses, including bacterial meningitis. Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician, explains the common ways ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

How the brain's housekeeper malfunctions during bacterial meningitis

Bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening infectious disease of the brain that leaves many survivors with long-lasting neurological impairments. Now, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden show in a study on rats ...

Neuroscience

Video: Immune system attacks brain-eating amoeba

Naegleria fowleri—commonly known as "the brain-eating amoeba"—can be found in warm fresh water. It's a single-celled, free swimming animal that reaches the brain through the nasal passageway by traveling up the olfactory ...

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Meningitis

Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs. Meningitis can be life-threatening because of the inflammation's proximity to the brain and spinal cord; therefore the condition is classified as a medical emergency.

The most common symptoms of meningitis are headache and neck stiffness associated with fever, confusion or altered consciousness, vomiting, and an inability to tolerate light (photophobia) or loud noises (phonophobia). Sometimes, especially in small children, only nonspecific symptoms may be present, such as irritability and drowsiness. If a rash is present, it may indicate a particular cause of meningitis; for instance, meningitis caused by meningococcal bacteria may be accompanied by a characteristic rash.

A lumbar puncture may be used to diagnose or exclude meningitis. This involves inserting a needle into the spinal canal to extract a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that envelops the brain and spinal cord. The CSF is then examined in a medical laboratory. The usual treatment for meningitis is the prompt application of antibiotics and sometimes antiviral drugs. In some situations, corticosteroid drugs can also be used to prevent complications from overactive inflammation. Meningitis can lead to serious long-term consequences such as deafness, epilepsy, hydrocephalus and cognitive deficits, especially if not treated quickly. Some forms of meningitis (such as those associated with meningococci, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococci or mumps virus infections) may be prevented by immunization.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA