This material is devoted to general information about meningitis as a serious disease that can lead to permanent disability of the patient.
Inflammation of the pia mater can be caused not only by viruses, fungi and bacteria, but also by protozoa and helminths.
Most often, viral meningitis occurs (enteroviruses, measles and mumps viruses are of primary importance). The second place belongs to meningococci and pneumococci, the third to Haemophilus influenzae. Since bacterial lesions of the pia mater are more dangerous, it is more difficult to treat and the risk disability with such an infection is higher, then vaccines have been developed - Prevenar, Pnevmo-23, Hiberix, Mentsevax and dr.
Staphylococci, fungi, toxoplasma, cryptococci, mycobacterium tuberculosis become relevant for congenital and acquired immunodeficiencies, as well as anomalies in the development of the skull.
The main symptoms are well reflected in the picture above. In addition to examining and assessing the neurological status in the diagnosis of meningitis, pleural puncture, CBC and blood biochemistry, determination of antibodies to pathogens by the method of paired sera (increase in titer by 4 or more times from initial).
The main complications of the disease include cerebral edema and infarction, acute hydrocephalus, subdural effusion.
The outcome of the disease depends on the timeliness of diagnosis and initiation of therapy, the correct selection of antiviral, antibacterial agents. The prognosis for fungal, bacterial meningitis is usually worse. After the disease, functional and organic disorders may remain.
