How meningitis spreads - all about disease

Often people have questions, what kind of illness is it and whether it is possible to get meningitis? In fact, it is nothing more than an inflammation of the membranes of the human brain and spinal cord. This word comes from the Greek language, consists of two parts, which means "brain envelope" and "inflammatory process".

How does meningitis spread?

It is an infectious disease, caused most often by bacteria, various viruses and fungi. In addition, the source of infection can be and healthy people who are bacilli carriers. This disease spreads most often through water or dirty fruit. Foci of infection can occur in a separate district or several cities at the same time. The disease is transmitted mostly by airborne droplets, but it is quite possible to get infected through items that were in use in the patient: toys, linens and other things.

You need to know how meningitis spreads to avoid getting infected with it. Pathogens enter the brain space with blood and lymph. If the patient has an infection of the upper respiratory tract, it will only contribute to the development of the disease. How meningitis spreads, you now know, but also I would like to clarify that it can appear against the background of other, not such serious diseases. This can be an inflammation of the ear or sinuses of the nose, craniocerebral trauma, etc.

Symptoms of meningitis

Most patients complain of severe attacks of headache and pain in the muscles, nausea. The disease is often accompanied by a fever. The pulse is usually rapid, the mind is confused. The patient can even fall into a coma.

But these are not all symptoms. There are a number of such that are peculiar only to this disease. For example, the inability due to contraction of the neck muscles tilts the head forward. Patients do not tolerate too bright light and very loud sounds. In a person with weak immunity, meningitis occurs either as an easy infection with severe headache and fever, or manifests itself as a rapidly growing coma. In the diagnosis of the disease, the laboratory examination of cerebrospinal fluid, which is taken by puncture of the spine in the lumbar region, is crucial. Her pressure is usually increased, and if the meningitis is purulent, then such fluid is cloudy.

What to do?

How meningitis spreads, it is understandable. But what to do if you suspect him? It is necessary to deliver the sick person to the hospital urgently, where he will be placed in a specialized department or an isolated box will be allocated. Often at the initial stages of this disease, resuscitation and intensive care are needed .

What is dangerous meningitis?

Ill in the worst case can die. Consequences of the disease can also be hearing loss, increased intracranial pressure, decreased vision, psychopathy, decreased intelligence, or epileptic seizures. Children can delay development, including mental. The severity of all the consequences of the disease depends primarily on its variety, on the timeliness of the treatment and on the degree of brain damage. Not so long ago it was fixed   An epidemic of meningitis in Moscow, so many have learned how serious this infection is.