Meningitis Disease Causes, Symptoms And Treatment In Adults And Children

What is meningitis?

To the brain and spinal cord are membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord. These membranes can switch. Meningitis is a dangerous disease that primarily occurs in children and in people with poor resistance. By meningitis the child or the adult in coma, brain damage or death.

Meningitis usually occurs by bacteria or a virus. Meningitis by a bacterium is more serious than meningitis by a virus. Children get on the consultation Office pricks to meningitis, as much as possible.

How do you get meningitis disease?

Causes of meningitis:
In case of meningitis penetrates through a bacteria or virus into the brains. This happens most easily in newborn babies and young children. They still do not have good defenses against infections.
In what ways does a newborn baby or a young child can become infected?

1. A mother can infect her baby during delivery bacteria from the gut or vagina. This can, for example, for a long time as the membranes were broken.
2. The cold sore virus can cause meningitis shortly after birth in infants. That is perilous. Beware therefore very much if you have a cold sore.
3. Other viruses are viruses for chickenpox, flu, glandular fever and HIV.

Meningitis sometimes occurs in people with poor immunity. The infection develops slowly and lasts for a month or longer.
Whereby an adult can get meningitis disease?

1. With AIDS can get a fungus in the brains. Or the HIV virus itself comes in the brains. This is called AIDS dementia.
2. In Lyme there may be a bacterium in the brains.
3. Certain types of cancer (such as leukemia or brain tumors), and the disease sarcoidosis can penetrate in the meninges.
4. Also chemotherapy, anti-inflammatory drugs and even painkillers (NSAIDs) can cause meningitis.
5. Bacteria can penetrate the brains after a fall, surgery or severe sepsis.

What are the signs and symptoms of meningitis in adults and children?

What symptoms have adults and children with meningitis?

1. They have a fever and headache and have to vomit.
2. They are drowsy and confused.
3. Many adults and children also have seizures and a stiff neck. They can hardly bend their heads forward by the neck pain.
4. Sometimes there are red and purple spots on the skin.

What are the symptoms in children up to two years?

1. They do not eat.
2. They are difficult to awaken.
3. They shrill cry and they're irritable.
4. She spit and they look gray.
5. If you lift the legs cries when changing the diaper of the baby moans. This is called diaper pain.
6. Babies under one year usually do not have a stiff neck or fever. Sometimes a baby is just a lower body temperature than normal.

A child with meningitis each hour sicker. Within a day it can become unconscious. Therefore, immediately call the doctor if you suspect meningitis, your child or go to the hospital.
In adults, it can go slower. This depends on the cause.

What is the treatment for meningitis?

When symptoms associated with meningitis gives the doctor antibiotics. On the first day of the antibiotic treatment, they also gives anti-inflammatories.
Further, the treatment depends on the type of meningitis:

1. Is a bacterium causing, over looking the doctor from which bacteria it is. They then give an appropriate antibiotic.
2. Is it a virus, it stops the antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics work because only in infections by bacteria. Meningitis by a virus does not require special treatment. The disease usually heals within two to three weeks of bed rest in the hospital. The patient receives additional paracetamol and moisture. Meningitis by the cold sore virus is the drug acyclovir.
3. For meningitis by a fungus there are drugs against fungi.
4. People with tuberculosis and meningitis given drugs against tuberculosis.
5. Against meningitis sarcoidosis help inflammatories.
6. Cancer is the cause helps chemotherapy or radiation.

After a meningitis

After a meningitis people are very tired. They can have headache, and concentrate and remember problems. Some people are very confused and not recognize others. One can after a few days at home, the other is weeks or months in the hospital.

About five to ten out of a hundred people with meningitis disease death after meningitis. Newborn babies are very vulnerable: 33 of the 100 babies died.

One of five children and adults develop major complaints about the disease. In newborn babies, this is some more. These symptoms may include:

1. deafness or hearing problems;
2. blindness or vision problems;
3. spasticity (cerebral palsy);
4. intellectual disabilities;
5. epilepsy or an epilepsy syndromes;
6. balance problems;
7. headache;
8. concentration problems, learning difficulties, memory problems (developmental);
9. behavioral problems;
10. motor problems, less muscle strength;
11. sensitivity to light or sound;
12. hydrocephalus (babies).

Of meningeal inflammation by a virus cure most children (and adults) without them something to hold on. Sometimes they keep complaints. Such as headaches, dizziness, muscle aches, sore throat, fatigue or problems with concentration, memory, learning or behavior.

Rarely, people with meningitis by a virus at the same time an inflammation of the brains (encephalitis). They may get complaints that no longer proceed. For instance aphasia, epilepsy and memory disorders.