Meningitis is a severe infectious disease characterized by inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. It occurs both independently and against the background of other infectious diseases.

No one is safe from meningitis, but children under 5 years old, young people aged 16 to 25 years old and older people over 55 years old are at risk. Meningitis is severe most often in children and can lead to irreversible consequences, and in some cases to death. The disease affects the brain, therefore, with improper treatment, a person remains disabled. Most often, newborns suffer from severe consequences; in adults, meningitis is not so acute and is quickly treated.

Depending on the causes of meningitis, it can be bacterial, fungal or viral. The most complex form of the disease is bacterial meningitis. According to the type of inflammatory process, purulent and serous meningitis are distinguished. Serous meningitis is divided into two types: primary and secondary. The primary form of meningitis occurs due to low immunity and damage by various enteroviruses. The secondary form of the disease occurs after an infectious disease: measles, mumps, chickenpox and others.

Tuberculous meningitis is caused by the tubercle bacillus. Previously, this disease was not treated and the person died. Modern medicine is able to cure tuberculous meningitis, only 15-25% of all cases are fatal. Cryptococcal meningitis is a form of fungal meningitis. The process of inflammation of the brain and spinal cord is caused by the fungus Cryptococcus. Encephalitic meningitis - this type of disease begins when an encephalitis infection enters the body. It is transmitted through the bite of a tick or through the consumption of raw milk from an infected animal.

Causes of meningitis

The main cause of meningitis is viruses or bacteria that penetrate the soft membranes of the brain and spinal cord. In adults, the most common bacterial meningitis is caused by streptococcus and meningococcus bacteria. If they are in the nasal cavity or throat, the disease does not develop, but in case of infection of the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, soft tissues of the brain, they provoke meningitis.

Among the causes of meningitis are other types of bacteria. This is group B streptococcus, which often affects newborns infected during or after childbirth. The bacteria Listeria monocytogenes can cause meningitis in infants and the elderly. After suffering an infectious disease, a person can get meningitis, as his immunity is weakened and cannot resist bacteria. People with and are especially susceptible to this disease. Various head injuries can cause meningitis.

Ways of transmission of meningitis

A topical issue among patients is whether meningitis is transmitted by airborne droplets, like most infectious diseases. The answer to this question depends on the cause of the disease. So, if meningitis develops as a result of internal processes occurring in the brain, it is not contagious to others and is not transmitted. In the case when the disease is provoked by the penetration of a microorganism-causative agent into the membrane of the brain, meningitis is transmitted by airborne droplets.

It is characteristic that meningitis is transmitted from person to person not only in the way that is traditionally accepted when infected with infectious diseases. Infection with meningitis, in addition to airborne droplets, can be through food or through any contact with a carrier of the disease. In this case, the ways of contracting a disease such as meningitis are varied: sneezing, coughing, kissing, using shared dishes, household items, staying in the same room with a sick person for a long time.

You can prevent the transmission of meningitis to a healthy person by strictly adhering to the rules for the prevention of infectious diseases and personal hygiene. This may include: wearing a medical mask in crowded places during outbreaks, avoiding prolonged exposure to public places. It also necessarily includes the complete cessation of contact with the carrier of the infection for the period of its treatment.

However, if infection nevertheless occurred, it is important to know that self-medication will not bring relief, but will only contribute to the development of complications. In order to quickly get rid of the disease of meningitis, at the first symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to consult a doctor. With qualified diagnosis and correct treatment, it will recede irrevocably.

Symptoms of meningitis

The symptoms of meningitis develop quickly and are easy to spot right away. The temperature rises sharply to 40 degrees, there is pain in the muscles, joints, there is general weakness and lethargy. Among the characteristic symptoms of meningitis in adults are the formation of a rash, runny nose and sore throat, as with a cold, pneumonia, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, disruption of the salivary glands.

One of the most pronounced and common signs of meningitis is an acute headache that spreads to the entire area. The pain is growing and unbearable. Then nausea and severe vomiting appear. The patient does not tolerate sound and light stimuli.

Symptoms of meningitis are manifested in all patients to varying degrees. As a rule, they have a strong tension of the occipital muscles. A person feels severe pain when the head is tilted to the chest and the legs are extended at the knees. To relieve symptoms, the patient lies in a certain position. The person lies on his side, throwing his head back strongly, presses his hands to his chest, and bends his legs at the knees and presses him to his stomach.

Symptoms of meningitis in children are the same as in adults, but there may be additional signs of the disease. Among them are: diarrhea and regurgitation of food, drowsiness, apathy and weakness, constant crying and loss of appetite, swelling in the fontanel. Meningitis develops rapidly, at the first sign you can not hesitate and immediately go to the hospital. The incubation period of the disease is 2 to 10 days. The signs of meningitis are very similar to the usual or. The rate of development of the disease depends on the level of immunity of the child: the lower it is, the faster it affects the body.

One day after the onset of the first symptoms, the person's condition becomes critical. The patient may become delusional, there is apathy and drowsiness, irritability. The swelling of the tissues of the meninges begins, which makes it difficult for blood to flow to the organs and tissues, as in a stroke. With untimely help, a person falls into a coma and quickly dies.

Aseptic meningitis

Aseptic meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, provoked in the human body, most often by a viral type pathogen. This disease can develop in patients of all age categories.

Usually, a disease such as aseptic meningitis is diagnosed and treated fairly quickly. However, for the timely diagnosis of the disease, it is necessary to know and understand the causes of the disease and the signs of its manifestation. This is what will be discussed in this article.

Reasons for the development of the disease

The main cause of aseptic meningitis in the human body is the causative microorganism. In this case, a virus (enterovirus) acts as the causative agent of the disease.

The penetration of the virus into the human body is carried out by the traditional, airborne or food way upon contact with the carrier. Then, penetrating through the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract or upper respiratory tract and palatine tonsils into the blood, enteroviruses spread throughout the body. With a weakened protective reaction of the body, pathogens transported by the circulatory system penetrate the membranes of the brain or spinal cord and provoke the development of the disease.

As mentioned above, enteroviruses are the cause of the disease in most cases. As for the causes that, in addition to viral microorganisms, lead to aseptic meningitis, then, by nature of origin, they can be divided into two categories - infectious and non-infectious.

As for non-infectious causes of the disease, these include previously suffered injuries or diseases, due to which aseptic meningitis may develop. These include: infectious diseases, inflammatory processes, tumors, concussions and injuries, exposure to chemotherapy drugs.

A feature of the aseptic type of the disease is, in particular, that the bacteria and viruses that provoked the disease are extremely difficult to detect by conventional methods. This presents some difficulty, but is not an unsolvable problem. Rather, on the contrary, it narrows the range of possible diseases for diagnosis.

Signs of aseptic meningitis

Symptoms of a disease such as aseptic meningitis appear quite clearly and are the first persistent signal that you should immediately consult a doctor. It is extremely important to remember that such a dangerous and fraught disease must be treated in the early stages. And for this you need to respond in a timely manner to the signs manifested by the disease.

First of all, you should pay attention to the general indicators of the state of health. Usually, they are subject to the following changes:

• a significant and rapid increase in temperature;
• state of fever, chills;
• throbbing headache.

More specific signs, characteristic of other types of meningitis, in the aseptic form appear rather weakly and develop at a slow pace. But, nevertheless, their presence can be traced.

The main symptom of the development of any form of meningitis is meningeal syndrome. It manifests itself if the patient laid on his back cannot tilt his head to his chest without bending his knees. Moreover, the bending of the legs occurs uncontrollably.

The danger of this type of disease lies precisely in the fact that the specific signs of meningitis appear 4-5 days after the onset of the disease, which can lead to serious consequences. Therefore, in the presence of high fever, mild meningeal syndrome, headache and fever, one should not wait for further symptomatic confirmation.

Bacterial meningitis

Bacterial meningitis is an infectious disease, expressed in inflammation of the tissues of the spinal cord and brain, and provoked in the body by bacteria of the streptococcal group. The prevalence of this disease is quite insignificant, but the disease can easily be transmitted from person to person and cause epidemics among the population.

This type of disease has its own characteristics of occurrence (causes), symptoms, manifestations and methods of treatment, different from other forms of meningitis. This is exactly what will be discussed in this article.

In addition to the genetic predisposition of some peoples to develop meningitis, there are also reasons why this disease can affect the body of each patient. These include the state of health and age of the patient, as well as external pathogens.

Bacterial meningitis, like any other form of this disease, is provoked in the human body when the microorganism of the pathogen enters it. In the case of the form of the disease discussed in this article, the role of such a pathogen is played by harmful bacteria of the streptococcal group.

Bacterial meningitis is transmitted, like any infectious disease, by traditional, airborne or foodborne routes. This happens, as a rule, upon contact with the carrier of the infection through a handshake, kiss, sneezing or common utensils and household items, which by itself suggests the need for strict adherence to personal hygiene rules.

The penetration of streptococcus bacteria into the body does not end the process of infection and the development of the disease. Moreover, once transmission has taken place, there are two scenarios: meningitis and no meningitis.

The fact is that for the development of the disease, appropriate conditions are needed. In the case of meningitis, these are: a weakened immune system and a through reaction of the body. Only with such additional factors, harmful bacteria-causative agents of the disease penetrate the bloodstream and are transported to the brain. Therefore, in the presence of chronic diseases, bad habits, or a course of therapies that adversely affect immunity, the chance of getting meningitis increases significantly. This also explains the high susceptibility of younger patients to the disease.

Amoebic (encephalitic) meningitis

Amoebic or encephalitic meningitis is a dangerous inflammation of the meninges, which is provoked by small free-living amoebae, often enough for a long period of time, that live in the human body.

The disease usually affects younger patients, putting children, adolescents, and adults under the age of 30 at risk. Encephalitic meningitis has different causes of development, symptoms and signs of manifestation, as well as methods of treatment and consequences, different from other forms of the disease. A detailed discussion of each of these factors will be provided in this article.

With a weakened protective reaction of the body, harmful microorganisms easily penetrate into the blood, and then, transported through the circulatory system, reach the central nervous system, namely, the membranes of the brain. After this, amoebic meningitis begins to develop and the first signs of the disease appear.

Purulent meningitis

Purulent meningitis is an infectious inflammation of the membranes of the brain, accompanied by the formation and release of purulent masses. This disease can occur in patients belonging to any age category. Often purulent meningitis occurs in children.

In order to understand how to deal with this disease, you need to know and be able to identify its symptoms. The described form of the disease has its own characteristics of manifestation, causes of development and methods of treatment. It is about them that will be discussed in this article.

The causes of a disease such as purulent meningitis are the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into the membranes of the brain. The causative agents in this situation are usually harmful bacteria. These include streptococci, pneumococci, staphylococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other pathogens. Most often, it is staphylococci that take part in the development of the disease, which is why this meningitis is often called staphylococcal.

As for how purulent meningitis is transmitted, there are several stages. The entry of the microorganism-causative agent of the disease into the human body, most often, occurs in the traditional airborne or food way.

Infection can occur through any contact with a carrier of the infection. Coughing or sneezing, shaking hands, or using shared utensils is enough to transmit harmful bacteria.

Then, penetrating through the tissues of the upper respiratory tract or stomach, harmful bacteria enter the bloodstream. And the causative agent of meningitis gets to the membranes of the brain by the hematogenous route, transported by the circulatory system. Then, after getting into the tissues of the meninges, the development of the disease begins.

A special characteristic of this disease is that its development, and in itself the penetration of bacteria into the blood, is possible only with a weakened immune system. Then the disease progresses quickly and without obstacles. This fact also explains the fact that the disease so often affects the child's body, whose immunity is not yet fully developed.

Tuberculous meningitis

Tuberculous meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges that occurs as a secondary disease after tuberculosis. This form of the disease is quite rare and, in most cases, in people with or recovering from tuberculosis.

The cause of such a disease as tuberculous meningitis is the spread of harmful pathogens from the focus of inflammation in the respiratory system to the brain. As mentioned above, most often, this type of disease is secondary, against the background of the development of tuberculosis. The main causative agent of both diseases are acid-fast bacteria, or, in other words, tuberculosis microbacteria.

Tuberculous meningitis is transmitted, like tuberculosis itself, by airborne droplets or food contact with a carrier of the infection. In the case of the spread of this disease, the carrier of dangerous microbacteria of tuberculosis can be people, animals and even birds.

It is also characteristic that when harmful microorganisms enter the body of a healthy person, whose immune system works well, tuberculosis bacteria are almost always destroyed. Therefore, as conditions necessary for the full development of the disease, weakened immunity, a low rate of the body's defense reaction are implied. It is a poorly developed immune system that is the reason that tuberculous meningitis manifests itself in children.

First of all, when it enters the respiratory organs, the disease is localized in them. Then, penetrating into the blood, tuberculosis microbacteria are transported by the circulatory system to the meninges. Just from this moment, the development of a secondary disease called tuberculous meningitis begins.

Viral meningitis

Viral meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, which is provoked by the ingestion of a virus-causative agent of the disease into the human body. This disease can affect quite extensive, in terms of age categories, groups of patients, and is quite dangerous. Viral meningitis is most common in children.

This disease is one of the most curable forms of meningitis, but it also has its dangers. In order to clearly understand all the features and deterioration of this disease, you need to know the features of its manifestation, the causes of development, as well as the features of the course and treatment.

The main cause of this disease, as mentioned above, is a virus that causes a disease in the child's body. The entry of this provocateur into the child's body, as with any other infectious disease, occurs by airborne droplets or food through contact with the carrier of the infection.

A feature of the further development of the disease is that during the normal functioning of the immune system, this virus may not provoke serious disruption of work, and even be destroyed. That is why viral meningitis so often affects children. The immunity of the child's body is not fully developed and cannot cope with the virus of this disease.

Thanks to such conditions, the causative agent of meningitis penetrates into the blood and, through the blood vessels, reaches the central nervous system. After reaching the brain, the virus contributes to the development of inflammation of its membranes.

Serous meningitis

Serous meningitis is an infectious disease characterized by the manifestation of a serous inflammatory process in the tissues of the membrane of the brain and spinal cord. This disease is most susceptible to children of preschool and school age, which is why the question of how serous meningitis manifests itself in children is relevant for all parents.

This disease is dangerous and extremely quickly transmitted from person to person. Therefore, every adult needs to know and understand what can provoke meningitis, what are the symptoms of its manifestation and the features of the course, as well as methods of treatment.

The cause of serous meningitis is the penetration of a microorganism-causative agent of the disease into the human body. Such microorganisms can be viruses, bacteria or fungi. However, due to the fact that in more than 80% of cases, it is viruses that provoke the disease, it is often called, especially when manifested in children, as serous viral meningitis.

Most often, this disease occurs due to enteroviruses entering the body. This also explains the fact that serous meningitis often occurs as a secondary disease as one of the viral diseases (measles, syphilis, AIDS, etc.).

It has been established that enterovirus can enter the child's body in two main ways: airborne and waterborne. Airborne transmission of infection from a carrier to a healthy person is the traditional route for this kind of disease. With any contact with a sick person (whether with a child or an adult), the disease virus enters the child's body: hugs, coughs, sneezes, kisses, common utensils, household items (toys).

As for the water route of transmission of the disease, in this case we are talking about a high content of harmful microorganisms in water bodies in summer. This explains the periodic epidemics of diseases in the warm season.

Getting into the child's body with still weak immunity, the virus of the disease freely penetrates through the skin and mucous membranes into the blood. Then, transported by the blood circulation, the pathogen reaches the lining of the brain. And after that, the development of serous meningitis begins.

infectious meningitis

Infectious meningitis is a dangerous inflammatory disease that affects the tissues of the spinal cord and brain. As a primary infectious disease, meningitis is provoked by various microorganisms, which explains the diversity in the course of the disease, the expression of symptoms and treatment.

This type of disease can be easily transmitted from person to person and can affect patients of different ages and both sexes equally. Infectious meningitis has its own characteristics of occurrence (causes), symptoms, manifestations and methods of treatment, different from other forms of meningitis. This is exactly what will be discussed in this article.

The main reason why a disease such as infectious meningitis develops in the human body is the penetration of a pathogen into it. Moreover, the role of such a pathogen, in this case, can be played by harmful viruses, bacteria or even a fungus.

Infectious meningitis, like any disease of this type, is transmitted by traditional, airborne or foodborne routes. This happens, as a rule, upon contact with the carrier of the infection through a handshake, kiss, sneezing or common utensils and household items, which by itself suggests the need for strict adherence to personal hygiene rules. In this regard, the way the infection of a disease called meningitis is transmitted to another person is not much different from other diseases.

The peculiarity of the development of the disease is that the infection process is not limited to one fact of penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into the body. Moreover, with the normal functioning of the body's defense system, meningitis may not occur.

Cryptococcal meningitis

Cryptococcal meningitis (cryptococcosis) is an inflammatory disease that affects the lining of the brain, which has a fungal nature of development. This disease has no age limits in the defeat of patients, therefore it is equally dangerous for all age groups of patients.

For timely diagnosis and treatment, as well as in order to prevent the development of the disease, it is worth knowing and understanding what are the causes, symptoms and features of the course of the disease. A description of all the described parameters can be found in this article.

As mentioned above, cryptococcal meningitis has a fungal nature of development. And, therefore, as with other infectious diseases, the cause of this disease in the patient's body is the pathogen microorganism. In this case, fungus.

The penetration of the microorganism-causative agent into the tissue of the brain membrane occurs in the standard way for this disease. The fungus enters the surface of the palatine tonsils and upper respiratory tract by airborne droplets or food. Then, under the condition of reduced work of the body's defense systems, the pathogen enters the bloodstream and, thanks to the well-functioning work of the circulatory system, moves to the brain tissue.

A distinctive feature of the occurrence of cryptococcosis is that, as an independent disease, it is extremely rare. All diseases of the nervous system of the body that have a fungal nature of development usually develop in people who have already had diseases that have weakened their immunity, including those with hemoblastoses, diabetes mellitus, AIDS, and malignant tumors. A disease such as cryptococcosis is a fairly common case after prolonged therapies using antibacterial, corticosteroid, immunosuppressive drugs.

Symptoms of the development of the disease

Symptoms of a disease such as cryptococcosis are extremely difficult to identify. This is due to the parallel or subsequent development of meningitis after another disease. Therefore, in order to track an additionally developing disease, it is periodically recommended to conduct diagnostics for inflammation of the meninges during the course of the underlying disease.

Symptoms of a disease such as cryptococcal meningitis can be divided into two categories: general infectious and specific meningeal. At the same time, signs common to all infectious diseases can easily be lost against the background of the underlying ailment, which cannot be said about specific ones.

General infectious signs of this type of meningitis are usually chronic. These include:

• an increase in temperature by several marks (up to 37.8-38? C);
• fever state.

Against the background of a constantly elevated, albeit slightly, body temperature, diseases of the respiratory tract, ears, and oral cavity can develop. Therefore, a prolonged change in body temperature should serve as a signal that meningitis is developing in the body. In combination with the specific signs of the disease, you can get a good reason for a preliminary diagnosis.

As for the specific symptoms of the disease, they include the usual signs of brain damage. Their list includes:

• intense throbbing headache;
• dizziness;
• nausea and vomiting not associated with meals;
• photophobia and sound phobia;
• soreness of the neck muscles;

The main symptom indicating the development of meningitis in the patient's body is meningeal syndrome. Its manifestation lies in the fact that the patient's legs will involuntarily bend at the knees, if he, when taking a horizontal position, tilt his head to the chest.

Meningitis in babies

In newborns, this disease is quite rare. The incidence of meningitis in infants ranges from 0.02% to 0.2%, depending on the weight of the newborn and his state of health.

It is extremely important for the parents of the baby to know the causes of the disease, to be able to recognize its symptoms and understand the features of treatment, in order to know how to behave when meningitis is manifested in the baby. All of these issues will be discussed in this article.

Symptoms of meningitis in newborns

There is a set of signs of the development of the disease that can occur in both infants and adult patients. However, due to the fact that a newborn child cannot show or tell that he is in pain, in this case, it is worth paying attention to a larger range of factors. So, the symptoms of a disease such as meningitis in infants will manifest themselves as follows:

• a significant increase in temperature;
• state of fever, chills;
• convulsions and twitches;
• increase and pulsation of the fontanel;
• diarrhea;
• nausea and profuse vomiting;
• decreased or complete lack of appetite;
• a state of general weakness of the body.

Signs of meningitis in infants are also reflected in the behavior of the child. A newborn baby, due to a severe headache, due to inflammation, is very excited, restless, the state of irritation is replaced by drowsiness. An experienced parent will be able to notice that the complex of the symptoms of the disease listed above can be inherent in any ailment of an infectious nature. That is why for the accurate diagnosis of the disease, there are specific signs of the disease.

meningeal syndrome

Meningeal syndrome is the main specific symptom that determines the presence of the inflammatory disease meningitis in the meninges. The peculiarity of its manifestation is that if you try to tilt the patient's head to the chest while he is in a horizontal position, his legs will bend uncontrollably at the knees. This test is good for both children and adults.

Symptoms of Lesage

Due to the fact that in newborns the symptoms of a disease such as meningitis are very mild, an examination of the fontanel (unfused skull bones) is performed to confirm suspicions. When meningitis occurs, this area becomes inflamed and pulsates.

Lesage's symptom is also called the pose of the pointing dog. Its essence lies in the fact that when the baby is held by the armpit area, he involuntarily pulls his legs to his stomach and throws his head back.

Causes

Infection of a newborn child usually occurs in a way that has become traditional for this type of disease. We are talking about the transmission of pathogens by airborne droplets from the carrier of the infection, which can be adults or the same small children.

Treatment of meningitis

Diagnosing meningitis is fairly easy, but the diagnosis must be confirmed by a doctor. Since the disease develops rapidly, you can not hesitate even a minute. Treatment of meningitis is carried out only under the supervision of doctors in the hospital, it cannot be treated at home. To confirm the disease, as well as to determine the pathogen, the patient undergoes a spinal puncture. With timely access to a doctor, meningitis is well treated and does not give complications. The methods of treatment of meningitis include several drugs and vaccines to eliminate the pathogen:

• The main treatment for meningitis is antibiotic therapy. At the first symptoms of the disease, broad-spectrum antibiotics from the group of penicillins, cephalosporins and macrolides are immediately used. Broad-spectrum drugs are prescribed to immediately eliminate the pathogen. The results of the analysis of cerebrospinal fluid will not be ready immediately, and it is almost impossible to determine the causative agent of meningitis in a blood test. Antibiotics are administered to the patient intravenously, and in severe forms of the disease, drugs can be injected into the spinal canal. The duration of the course of antibiotic treatment is determined by the doctor, but the patient will receive medication for at least a week after his normal temperature stabilizes.
• Diuretics may be used in the treatment of meningitis. When using diuretics, fluid is simultaneously injected into the patient's body. Diuretics contribute to a strong leaching of calcium from the body, so the patient is prescribed a vitamin complex.
• With meningitis, detoxification therapy is used. It is necessary to reduce the symptoms of intoxication. The patient is injected intravenously with saline, glucose solution and other drugs.

The duration of treatment for meningitis varies and depends on the degree of development of the disease, the patient's condition. In children, this disease can give various complications, in adults it is quickly treated without consequences. After completion of therapy in the hospital, it is necessary to continue treatment at home, to strengthen the immune system. The patient can restore health within one year, so it is not always possible to return to work or school.

Prevention of meningitis

Preventive measures for meningitis primarily include mandatory vaccination. Vaccination will help prevent the development of many diseases that lead to meningitis. Vaccination should be given to children at an early age. Bacterial and viral meningitis vaccines include vaccinations against Haemophilus influenzae type B, against infections that cause pneumonia and other diseases. Vaccination should be carried out for a child aged 2 months to 5 years, as well as for children over 5 years old who suffer from serious illnesses. Before the invention of the vaccine, bacteria were thought to be the most common cause of bacterial meningitis, but vaccines have been able to eradicate it.

Meningococcal vaccination can protect against the main bacteria that cause meningitis. It must be done to a child aged 11-12 years. This type of vaccination should be given to students living in a dormitory, recruit soldiers, immunodeficient patients, as well as tourists and workers traveling to countries where a meningitis epidemic can break out, for example, countries in Africa. It is necessary to carry out mandatory vaccination against other infectious diseases:, and others.

Other measures to prevent meningitis include maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness:

• exclusion of contact with people with meningitis;
• after contact with an infected person, it is necessary to receive a preventive course of medication;
• wear a disposable medical mask during epidemics of influenza and other infectious diseases;
• wash hands before eating, after transport and public places, use antibacterial agents;
• do not drink raw water, process vegetables and fruits with boiling water, boil milk;
• avoid swimming in stagnant water;
• strengthen the immunity of the child from an early age.

Consequences of the disease

Meningitis is dangerous because its untimely or incorrect treatment can lead to serious complications that will remind of themselves for many years. Moreover, it does not matter at what age the disease was transferred. The consequences after meningitis are manifested in both adults and children.

In older patients, the list describing the complications after meningitis includes: regular headaches, hearing loss, significant visual impairment, epileptic seizures, and many other deteriorations in the functioning of the body that can haunt the patient from several months to several years.

As for the consequences of meningitis for children, then, in this case, the situation is even more dangerous. If the disease occurs in the first years of a child's life, the probability of death is very high. If the disease was defeated, then it can cause mental retardation, disruption of the basic functions of the brain and the entire nervous system of the child's body.

Moreover, the threat of a fatal outcome of the disease exists not only for children. As an answer to the question of whether it is possible to die from meningitis, let's talk about one of its most serious complications. We are talking about .

This complication is more common in younger patients, but not infrequently in adults. With the onset of this complication of an infectious disease, meningitis, the patient's blood pressure and heart rate begin to change dramatically, shortness of breath increases and pulmonary edema develops. The result of this process is paralysis of the respiratory tract. What are the consequences after such a complication of meningitis, it is not difficult to guess - the death of the patient.

Another complication called toxic shock leads to the same consequences. Without going to the doctors at the first manifestations of the disease, it is impossible to cope with the complications of the disease.

If we talk about the general list, then the consequences of meningitis affect the health of men, women and children. This indicates the urgent need for correct treatment and proper rehabilitation after illness.

The most common consequences of meningitis include: disruption of the nervous system, mental disorders, epilepsy, dropsy (excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain), hormonal dysfunctions and others. This disease, even in the process of treatment, can have a negative effect on the body. With the introduction of drugs, blood pressure is significantly reduced, the work of the urinary system worsens, calcium is washed out of the bones.

It is important to know and always remember that timely diagnosis and correct treatment can save not only the health of the patient, but also his life. Therefore, in order to avoid consequences that pose a real threat to life, at the first symptoms of the disease, you need to consult a doctor.

Approximately every tenth healthy person is a carrier of meningococcal infection. Microorganisms are able to persist in the respiratory organs for a long time without causing clinical manifestations. Most often, meningococci cause a common cold in the human body, and only in a third of patients such rhinitis precedes the development of meningitis and meningococcemia. The risk group for this disease is children under five years of age, persons aged 16 to 25 years and the elderly over 55 years of age.

Signs of meningitis

The main clinical signs of meningitis in children are: high-pitched crying, anxiety, tremor of the chin and hands, refusal to eat, drowsiness, lethargy or excessive excitability, frequent regurgitation, vomiting, diarrhea, tension and bulging of the fontanel, convulsions.

Meningitis is manifested by lethargy, drowsiness, lethargy, fever with chills, lack of appetite, excruciating headache, increased skin sensitivity, photophobia, hypersensitivity to sounds, nausea, vomiting, increased headache with a slight change in body position, stiff neck, convulsions, impaired consciousness, delirium, hemorrhagic rash on the body and the characteristic posture of the patient with legs pulled up to the stomach and head thrown back.

Ways of transmission of meningitis

Meningitis is a disease that is extremely difficult to catch directly from a person to a person. The source of infection is a person or animal that carries a virus that can cause inflammation of the meninges. Meningitis can only be contracted through direct contact if it is caused by meningococcus.

How much it depends on the type of causative agent of meningitis. Primary meningitis is contagious. The pathogen is transmitted in different ways.

The route of transmission of purulent meningitis caused by meningococcus is airborne: human infection occurs through objects contaminated with saliva, when sneezing, coughing, kissing. Serous meningitis is usually caused by enteroviruses, which are transmitted by airborne droplets when sneezing and coughing or by fecal contact through dirty hands or objects of the patient. Serous meningitis can be transmitted by swimming in the pool, ponds, lakes. In children's groups, outbreaks of enteroviral meningitis are possible, which rarely acquire epidemic proportions.

Secondary meningitis is a complication of various inflammatory processes: otitis, rhinitis, sinusitis. Rhinogenic, otogenic, odontogenic meningitis, as a rule, is not contagious.

In medical practice, this term is understood as an inflammatory process in the soft and arachnoid membrane of the brain. Meningitis develops as an independent pathology or as a consequence (complication) of another pathological process inside the body. Typical manifestations include headache, neck stiffness, fever, phobia of loud sounds and bright lights.

Epidemiology of the disease

The causative agent of the purulent form of the disease is meningococcus, pneumococcus, staphylococcus aureus. Meningococci do not survive well in the external environment (they die from any impact). The source of the viral form is a sick person or a healthy meningococcus carrier.

The pathogen penetrates through the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx. Pathological processes affect the soft shell and partly the substance of the brain. Children of preschool age and men are especially susceptible to the disease.

Outbreaks most often occur from February to April. Among the precipitating factors:

• climate features (humidity and temperature fluctuations);
• insufficient ventilation of premises in winter;
• lack of vitamins.

Pathology is widespread throughout the world. The highest incidence rates are observed in African countries (40 times more than in Europe).

Outbreaks of the disease with high contagiousness: statistics of the Russian Federation

The first recorded outbreak occurred in 1930 (50 cases per 100,000 population). Experts at the time assumed that high contagiousness characteristic of meningitis was caused by active migration. The outbreak ended only by 1940. The rate was raised again in the 1970s.

ATTENTION: The cause was meningococcus from China, accidentally brought into the country (new pathogen, people did not have immunity). In 2014, the incidence rate in the country amounted to 991 cases of severe form of leakage (692 - children).

According to statistics, young people aged 17-20 years (students of 1-2 courses, recruits in the army) began to get sick with meningitis more often. Young children account for 70% of cases.

How long is the incubation period?

The incubation period is the time period when the pathogen has entered the body, but has not yet manifested itself. The duration of this period can vary from 3 hours to 7 days. This is affected by the nature of the infection and the level of immunity. The manifestation of the first symptoms also depends on the type of meningitis:

• infectious– 5-6 days;
• serous– from several hours to 3 days;
• viral- no more than 4 days.
• purulent form– 2-6 hours.

How is meningitis transmitted from person to person?

According to statistics, every 10 people are a carrier of meningococcal infection. The causative agent can be contained in the body for a long time without causing characteristic symptoms. Through direct contact with a person, only certain forms of the disease can be contracted. So how is meningitis transmitted:

Distribution methods depending on the type

Whether or not meningitis is contagious depends on its form. It also affects the severity of symptoms and the severity of the pathology.

Bacterial

Pathogenic bacteria can live in the nasopharynx for up to several years, and begin to cause harm only after entering the bloodstream. Transmitted pathogens through fluids (saliva, mucus). The characteristic route of transmission is airborne (contagious to humans).

Viral

The causative agent is enteroviruses. Infection occurs by airborne droplets or contact. If the infection is on the mucous membrane of the eye, in the mouth, on the skin, then it easily enters the surrounding objects (touching them, a person becomes infected). The virus can also enter the body when swimming in polluted waters (more rare cases). Other possible routes of transmission:

This is a rare form that most often ends in death. The causative agent is Negleria Fowler, which lives in water (freshwater lakes, poorly chlorinated pools). The pathogen enters the human body through the nose. It is not transmitted from person to person.

IMPORTANT: High temperatures increase the risk of developing this form of meningitis. In hot weather, do not swim in fresh water.

Fungal

They provoke the onset of candida, coccidia. Anyone can become infected, but people who take hormones or receive chemotherapy, as well as people with HIV, are especially susceptible. The infection from the primary focus, along with the blood flow, enters the brain and inflammation begins. Fungal form is not contagious.

non-infectious

It is not transmitted from person to person. The disease can develop after the removal of brain tumors, therapy of various pathologies of the nervous system. The mechanism of appearance is a response to interference in the central nervous system. Provocative factors - oncology, injuries, some groups of drugs.

Myths and misconceptions

Meningitis is not transmitted through medical procedures, sexual intercourse and in nail salons. Among the common myths associated with the course and features are the following.

Is it hereditary or not?

No, this disease is caused by microorganisms of various groups (bacteria, viruses) that are not inherited.

What to do if you have signs of illness?

ADVICE: When the first symptoms are detected, you need to go to see a therapist (if the course of the disease is acute, call an ambulance). For help, you can contact both the district hospital and the private clinic.

Treatment is carried out by a therapist (with an uncomplicated form), or an infectious disease specialist. Basic principles of meningitis treatment in a hospital:

1. the appointment of antibacterial agents (antibiotics);
2. relief of inflammation;
3. elimination of toxins (detoxification therapy);
4. symptomatic treatment.

Medicines are administered intravenously, in severe forms - directly into the spinal canal. Traditional medicine in the fight against meningitis is powerless - treatment at home can be fatal.

Prevention: what to do to avoid infection?

Specific prevention options include mandatory vaccination. Developed immunity lasts up to 5 years, then re-introduction of the vaccine is required. The method of prevention for children is to follow the vaccination plan, since many childhood diseases provoke inflammation of the meninges.

The list of general prevention rules includes drinking only purified water, observing the rules of personal hygiene, hardening, and taking multivitamin complexes. Refrain from direct contact with patients. In summer, swim only in those reservoirs that have passed SES control.

Conclusion

Meningitis is a dangerous pathology from which no one is immune.. With the appearance of general malaise and the first characteristic signs, do not postpone a visit to the doctor. If the condition worsens rapidly, call an ambulance. Take your health seriously. And knowing how meningitis is transmitted, you can save yourself and your loved ones from the disease.

Watch a video about the virus and the causes of meningitis:

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

If you want to consult with the specialists of the site or ask your question, then you can do it completely is free in comments.

And if you have a question that goes beyond the scope of this topic, use the button Ask a Question above.

Content

Inflammation of the lining of the brain is meningitis. The disease develops independently or as a complication of other pathologies (head injury, surgery, brain tumor). It is caused by several types of pathogenic organisms. Whether the disease is contagious depends on the form of its course and origin.

Types of meningitis

Types of inflammatory pathology by origin:

1. Primary- an independent disease that resolves without the development of infection in other organs.
2. Secondary- is formed against the background of other pathologies (measles, parotitis, tuberculosis, HIV, syphilis).

Infectious

This meningitis develops when pathogens enter the brain, blood, or cerebrospinal fluid. Varieties of infection by cause:

1. Viral- causative agents of pathology - echovirus, enterovirus, Coxsackie.
2. bacterial- caused by meningococcus, streptococcus, Escherichia and Haemophilus influenzae. Complications of the advanced form of the disease lead to death.
3. fungal- inflammation of the membranes of the brain when Candida, Cryptococcus enters the body.
4. protozoan- Caused by amoebas, Toxoplasma.

non-infectious

This type of meningitis is not contagious, but occurs as a secondary disease. Non-infectious inflammation often develops in people of different sex and age. The main causes of pathology:

• Head injury.
• Cancer of the brain.
• Operational intervention.
• Systemic lupus erythematosus.

Methods of infection

Physicians distinguish such methods of transmission of meningitis:

1. Direct physical contact with an infected person or animal, non-compliance with hygiene rules.
2. By air.
3. Through the blood or lymph.
4. Other ways of contracting meningitis are during pregnancy or childbirth, ingestion of infected water into the body (drinking, bathing).

airborne way

The most common form of infection.

Viruses and bacteria are transmitted by sneezing, coughing, talking with a sick person, through saliva, mucus. Harmful microorganisms live on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. When they enter the external environment, they settle in the mouth or nasopharynx of a healthy person.

The aerosol method of infection transmits tuberculosis, enteroviral, meningococcal and adenovirus meningitis.

Hematogenous

The infection penetrates the membranes of the brain during a blood transfusion, which contains bacteria. In this way, meningococcal, enterovirus and tuberculosis infections are transmitted.

Contact household

Infection of a healthy person occurs during direct contact with a sick person. Infection is possible through the patient's personal belongings: hygiene items, dishes, clothes, toys.

The contact-household route of transmission causes enteroviral and adenovirus meningitis.

The length of time for which the infection enters the body, but is in an inactive state (incubation period) depends on the type of disease: viral - up to 4 days, bacterial - about a week, purulent - 2-6 hours, serous - from a couple of hours to several days .

Symptoms of inflammation of the meninges:

• Decreased or complete loss of appetite.
• Weakness, general malaise.
• Nausea, vomiting without relief.
• Strong headache.
• Hyperesthesia - high sensitivity to touch, sound and photophobia.
• Diarrhea (in a child).
• Inflammation of the lymph nodes.
• Very high temperature - up to 40 ° C, fever.
• Rigidity (increased tone) of the muscles of the neck: numbness of the neck, difficulty turning or tilting the head.
• Pressure in the eye area, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye (conjunctivitis).
• Disturbance of consciousness, dizziness, fainting.
• Pain on pressure under the eye or in the middle of the eyebrows.

Meningeal signs:

1. Kernig's sign. A person cannot straighten the leg at the knee if it is bent at the hip joint. This is due to the strong tension of the posterior femoral muscles.
2. With viral meningitis, the patient often lies on his side with his head thrown back. His legs are bent at the knees and pulled up to his stomach.
3. Strong tension in the muscles of the neck. When a person lies on his back, he cannot touch his chest with his chin.
4. Symptom Brudzinsky. When the head is tilted to the chest, the legs involuntarily bend at the knees.

Complications of the inflammatory process:

• Epilepsy is a mental nervous disease.
• Decreased or complete loss of hearing.
• Hydrocephalus is an increased amount of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.
• Impaired mental development in children.
• Purulent arthritis is a bacterial inflammation of the entire joint.
• Fatal outcome.

Prevention

There are two methods of prevention: following the doctor's recommendations and vaccination. General Tips:

1. Eat properly and in a balanced way.
2. Take vitamins (especially during an epidemic of infectious diseases).
3. Observe personal hygiene.
4. Use local antiviral agents during the epidemic of acute respiratory infections.
5. Treat inflammatory pathologies in a timely manner.
6. At the first sign of infection, contact your doctor immediately.

From purulent or viral meningitis, doctors use the meningococcal vaccine (during an epidemic), vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae B.

Video

Did you find an error in the text?
Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we'll fix it!

Shoshina Vera Nikolaevna

Therapist, education: Northern Medical University. Work experience 10 years.

Articles written

Whether ngitis is contagious is of interest to everyone, since this is a rather dangerous disease, and you need to know how to protect yourself from it. The disease is characterized by the rapid development of the inflammatory process in the brain. Various factors cause the pathological process.

The causative agents can be viruses, bacteria, fungi. Even taking certain medications can provoke the disease. How severe meningitis will be depends on the cause.

Routes of infection and risk factors

How meningitis is contracted depends on the type and form of the disease. The primary form of the disease is always contagious. In the presence of a purulent process, the transmission of the disease occurs by airborne droplets, through kisses, coughing.

With the main cause of development is an enterovirus, which enters the body through dirty hands, the use of unwashed vegetables and fruits, the use of objects alone with sick people, while swimming in water bodies.

With secondary meningitis, infection cannot occur, since it is a complication of other diseases.

Risk factors for developing the disease include:

• age characteristics of the organism. About ninety percent of cases of infection are recorded among small ones. Adults suffer from this problem much less often;
• spending time in a large group;
• a weak immune system that does not allow a person to adequately fight inflammation;
• work activities associated with substances that can cause disease;
• visiting African countries.

To avoid the development of serious complications, you should immediately consult a doctor as soon as the first diseases occur:

1. Body temperature rose to 40 degrees.
2. There was vomiting, stool disorder, general weakness.
3. Headache, cough, sore throat.
4. In some cases, symptoms such as a rash on the skin and mucous membranes occur.
5. All muscles hurt, especially the neck, and an adult or child cannot raise or lower his head.
6. Sleep, consciousness are disturbed, fear of light and noise appears.

To understand how high the risk of transmission of meningitis is, one can only study in detail information about all its forms.

bacterial form

Such meningitis is always contagious. This is the most dangerous form of the disease, which passes from person to person by airborne droplets. Inflammation can provoke the ingestion of streptococci, pneumococci, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Haemophilus influenzae.

These bacteria have the ability to spread over long distances, so you can easily become infected when you are in the same room as the sick person.

Most often, the symptoms of this disease occur in:

• preschool children;
• those who suffer from chronic alcoholism;
• people after neurosurgical operations;
• avid travelers.

Scientists have also found that this form of meningitis can develop due to the genetic predisposition of the body. This feature was identified among the indigenous people of India and America.

Viral meningitis

Such meningitis occurs due to different viruses. The cause of development can be entero- and adenoviruses, the herpes virus, mumps and many others.

The methods of infection depend on the type of virus and can be as follows:

1. Aerosol way. The virus in this case is located on the mucous membrane of the nose and throat, and when the patient coughs, the virus spreads to healthy people.
2. contact method. When the virus is in the mouth, eyes, on the skin, it quickly gets on objects, touching which can cause meningitis in a healthy person. Therefore, you can get meningitis if you do not follow the rules of hygiene or do not wash vegetables and fruits.
3. Waterway. Some viruses thrive in bodies of water. Therefore, outbreaks of infection often occur during the bathing season.
4. transmission path. Some viruses spread to humans through insects.
5. During pregnancy, the virus can pass from the mother to the fetus.

A very rare disease is amoebic meningitis. In most cases, it leads to the death of the patient. The infection develops after the ingestion of Fowler's negleria, which lives in rivers and lakes, geothermal springs, and some pools.

A bacterium from the water enters a person's nose and moves to the brain. Risk factors for the development of this form have not been elucidated. It is only known that the likelihood of infection increases when swimming in warm fresh water. Therefore, in very hot weather, it is better not to swim in the river. This meningitis cannot be transmitted from a patient to a healthy one, therefore it is rare.

The fungal form of inflammation can be triggered by cryptococci, conditions, candida. This problem can occur in anyone, but people are most susceptible to its development:

• suffering from the human immunodeficiency virus;
• abusing hormonal drugs and immunosuppressants;
• undergoing chemotherapy.

The fungus, getting into the blood, quickly infects the brain and causes an inflammatory process. This form cannot be infected from a sick person, so it is not classified as contagious.

non-infectious form

This is another form of meningitis that cannot be passed from sick people to healthy people. Provoking factors that can cause the development of this pathology are:

• oncological diseases;
• certain types of drugs;
• autoimmune diseases;
• surgical interventions performed on the brain.

There are many cases of non-infectious meningitis. This problem often acts as a complication after section operations, in the treatment of malformations and diseases of the central nervous system. Such meningitis develops almost always after the elimination of neoplasms in the brain. Thus, the nervous system reacts to such interference.

Based on the foregoing, to the question of whether it is possible to become infected with meningitis, the answer is that it is possible, but not all of its types are transmitted from person to person. The most dangerous are the viral and bacterial forms of the disease. They quickly spread from sick people to healthy people.

While inflammation caused by fungi, trauma, surgery and other causes cannot be contagious.

But regardless of the form, this disease is very dangerous and can have severe complications. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to avoid the risk factor. To reduce the risk of developing pathology, experts advise:

1. Carefully follow the rules of personal hygiene.
2. Always wash fruits and vegetables before eating.
3. Drink only good quality water.
4. Strengthen immunity.

As soon as the first symptoms of meningitis appear, it is urgent to visit a doctor and start treatment, since in some forms death can occur on the first day of inflammation.