WHERE MENINGITIS LIVES: FORMS, SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT OF THE DISEASE

Types of meningitis

It is generally accepted that the first symptoms of meningitis were described by Hippocrates, and then by medieval healers. So humanity has known about this disease for a very long time. But for many years, tuberculosis was mistakenly believed to be the cause of inflammation of the meninges, and before the discovery of antibiotics, 95 out of 100 patients died from meningitis. Nowadays, treating meningitis is also not easy, but thanks to modern knowledge, the survival rate is much higher than several centuries ago.

However, for effective therapy, it is necessary to initially determine what type of meningitis will have to be dealt with. And this disease is very “many-sided” in origin and nature, therefore, in the international classification of diseases (ICD 10), each type is assigned its own code and definition, and specialists use different methods to systematize the disease.

According to the nature of inflammation, meningitis is divided into:

• purulent;
• serous.

In the first case, the disease is caused by meningococcal bacteria, is very severe, and is caused by a primary septic process. The second type is of viral origin and is considered less dangerous compared to purulent bacterial meningitis and is less likely to cause complications.

By origin, meningitis is divided into:

• primary (independent disease);
• secondary (appears as a complication of sinusitis, otitis, respiratory infections, osteomyelitis of the skull bones, caries, boils on the face or neck, tonsillitis, and sometimes occurs against the background of diseases such as tuberculosis, measles, mumps, syphilis).

Classification by pathogen:

• bacterial;
• fungal;
• viral;
• protozoan;
• mixed.

According to the nature of the flow:

• lightning (fulminant);
• spicy;
• subacute;
• chronic;
• recurrent.

By localization of inflammation:

• total;
• basal (affects the deep parts of the brain);
• spinal (affects the spinal cord);
• convexital (affects the superficial part of the brain).

According to severity:

• mild;
• medium heavy;
• heavy.

In addition, there is also non-infectious meningitis. This is a type of aseptic meningitis, that is, a disease caused by any other non-bacterial agents - non-infectious diseases, drugs or vaccines. Overall, these causes of meningitis are rare. Most often, doctors diagnose cases of viral, bacterial, secondary purulent and fungal meningitis. Moreover, the bacterial (meningococcal) variety of the disease is more common among children under 5 years of age, and the fungal type is more common among pregnant women, patients after chemotherapy, as well as patients with acquired immunodeficiency. Bacterial, also purulent, meningitis can affect even babies under one year old, and viral (serous) meningitis in children, as a rule, develops after mumps or Coxsackie viruses, ECHO. The viral form is not as dangerous for children as the purulent form, since it is easier to treat and less likely to cause complications.

Can you get meningitis?

Meningitis is an infectious disease. The inflammatory process develops in the membranes of the brain and spinal cord. There are primary meningitis, in which the meninges are directly affected by the penetration of an infectious agent, and secondary, in which microorganisms spread into the meninges from foci of inflammation located in other organs. Whether meningitis is contagious depends on the type of pathogen. Doctors at the Yusupov Hospital identify him using modern laboratory research methods.

Patients with meningitis are placed in separate single rooms and provided with personal hygiene products and dietary meals. Secondary meningitis can develop in case of generalization of the tumor process. It is not transmitted from person to person, so patients do not need to be isolated.

To treat patients with meningitis at the Yusupov Hospital, doctors use modern antimicrobial drugs registered in the Russian Federation. They are highly effective and have minimal side effects. Professors and doctors of the highest category discuss severe cases of meningitis at a meeting of the expert council. They collectively decide to change the further treatment regimen.

Patients who develop life-threatening conditions are transferred to the intensive care unit. They are provided with constant monitoring of the functioning of the heart, brain and breathing using modern cardiac monitors. All patients with meningitis receive oxygen therapy. According to indications, they are transferred to controlled breathing using expert-class artificial lung ventilation devices.

Causes of meningitis

Meningitis in children is contagious or not, and the degree of danger of getting sick after contact with a sick person depends on the causative agent of the infectious process. The following types of meningitis are distinguished:

Bacterial meningitis in newborns is caused mainly by group B or D streptococci. In older children and adults, the infectious process develops when meningococci, Haemophilus influenzae or pneumococci enter the body. Bacterial meningitis can also be caused by other microorganisms (listeria, enterobacteria, group B streptococci, Staphylococcus aureus). Bacterial meningitis can be caused by spirochetes. Adults sometimes get meningitis caused by two or more types of bacteria.

At least two thirds of culture-negative cases of serous meningitis are caused by enteroviruses. Also the causative agents of viral meningitis are:

• ECHO and Coxsackie viruses types A and B;
• mumps virus;
• Epstat-Warr virus;
• togaviruses;
• bunyaviruses;
• arenaviruses;
• cytomegaloviruses;
• adenoviruses 2, 6, 7, 12 and 32 serovars.

The likelihood of getting sick increases in patients with immunodeficiency states, alcoholism, after neurosurgical interventions, traumatic brain injuries, and abdominal surgery.

Mechanism of development of meningitis

The source of infection is a sick person or a bacteria carrier. How is meningitis transmitted? Microorganisms can be transmitted directly from person to person or through water, objects, food, and insect bites contaminated with rodent excreta. However, the transfer of these microorganisms to a healthy person does not mean that the person will get meningitis. A prerequisite for microorganisms to begin to multiply, release toxins and cause pathological reactions is a decrease in immunity.

The microorganisms that cause meningitis can be transmitted from person to person in several ways. Infectious agents can enter the child’s body from the mother through the placenta or during childbirth, even if the woman has no symptoms of the disease. A caesarean section, in which the baby does not pass through the birth canal, is not always able to protect him from infection. Both viruses and bacteria are transmitted this way.

The oral-fecal route of transmission is characteristic of enteroviruses and certain types of bacteria. Mostly children become infected this way. Thorough hand washing can prevent infection. Microorganisms enter the human body through airborne droplets when coughing and sneezing. Carriers can transmit certain bacteria that are found in saliva or the mucous membranes of the nose and throat.

Meningitis pathogens can enter the body of a healthy person with infected blood through kissing or sexual contact. Human immunodeficiency virus can also cause meningitis. It is transmitted from an infected person through blood and during sexual intercourse, but not through kissing.

Rarely, microorganisms that cause meningitis are transmitted to humans through water, food and objects contaminated with rodent excreta, as well as through insect bites. Most often, infection occurs through this route with arboviruses (including St. Louis encephalitis and West Nile viruses). These microorganisms are transmitted through food and dust contaminated by the urine of infected hamsters, mice and rats.

In most cases of meningitis, the entry point for infection is the mucous membranes of the pharynx and nasopharynx. The infection spreads throughout the body through the hematogenous route (with blood). Bacterial toxins affect the central and autonomic nervous systems. Infectious-toxic shock develops, disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome with hemorrhages in the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, heart, adrenal glands, followed by necrosis of the lesions.

Meningitis affects the soft membranes of the brain. If the infection spreads through the spaces around the vessels, meningoencephalitis develops. When inflammation spreads to the inner layer of the ventricles of the brain and the spinal canal, ependymatitis occurs. Increased intracranial pressure can lead to displacement of the brain, compression of the medulla oblongata in the foramen magnum and death due to bulbar respiratory paralysis.

In response to the penetration and proliferation of microorganisms in the cerebrospinal fluid, an inflammatory process develops in the meninges. The permeability of the blood-brain barrier increases, cerebral edema develops, blockage of the cerebrospinal fluid pathways and neurovasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels). Intracranial pressure increases, cerebral blood flow decreases, and its self-regulation is disrupted. Hypoxia of the cerebral cortex and disruption of acid-base balance occurs. A large number of neutrophils, which are markers of inflammation, appear in the cerebrospinal fluid.

With bacterial meningitis, the concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a multifunctional pro-inflammatory cytokinin, platelet activating factor, which is directly involved in the development of inflammation in pneumococcal meningitis and has an auxiliary effect in inflammation caused by hemophilus influenzae lipopolysaccharide, increases.

Causes of infection

In many clinical cases, meningitis manifests itself as a seasonal disease. But contrary to popular belief, hypothermia cannot be considered its main cause. Statistics indicate that more cases of infection occur in the warm season, as well as in countries with temperate climates. However, experts also record surges in the spread of the disease in the off-season. This is facilitated by several factors: increased humidity and decreased air temperature outside, seasonal hypovitaminosis, as well as longer stays in poorly ventilated areas. Not long ago, scientists noticed another cyclical pattern: every 10-15 years, an epidemic of meningitis is registered in the world. For example, in 2021, an epidemic of serous meningitis caused by the enterovirus ECHO30 from China was recorded in Russia.

Viral meningitis can be caused by enteroviruses, measles, rubella, chickenpox, herpes or mumps viruses. The bacterial variety of the disease is caused by staphylococci, meningococci, streptococci, salmonella, klebsiella, tuberculosis, pseudomonas or hemophilus influenzae. The causative agents of the disease are fungal etiology, Candida and Cryptococcus. The cause of protozoal meningitis can be protozoan microorganisms (intracellular parasites), and a mixed type of disease occurs due to the complex influence of several factors at once. The carriers of any meningitis are infected people.

People with weakened immune systems and children under 5 years of age are most susceptible to the disease (their immune system is still developing, and the blood-brain barrier is characterized by increased permeability). If we analyze the prevalence of the disease between the sexes, then more cases of inflammation in the brain are diagnosed among men (usually at the age of 20-30 years). Also at risk are pregnant women, people with diabetes, gastrointestinal ulcers, AIDS, those suffering from chronic fatigue, or people suffering from malnutrition. In the so-called “Third World” countries, the prevalence of meningitis is almost 40 times higher than the European average. It is also interesting that in Europe and Russia, diseases of bacterial etiology are approximately 3 times less common than viral ones. Doctors say the main reason for this is vaccination, which can help prevent the bacterial form of the disease. After vaccination, the body produces antibodies against specific strains and serological types of the pathogen.

To protect yourself, first of all, you need to understand that meningitis is a contagious disease. Depending on the species, it can be transmitted in different ways:

• airborne (through saliva particles during coughing and sneezing);
• fecal-oral (through unwashed hands, fruits and vegetables, contaminated water);
• hemocontact (through blood);
• lymphogenous (through lymphatic fluid);
• placental (from pregnant women to the fetus);
• water (when swimming in open reservoirs or pools);
• contact and household (through household items, dishes, toys);
• through insect bites (mainly in African countries).

In children under 1 year of age, meningitis can be caused by the same reasons as in adults or have other causes. For example, be a consequence of birth trauma, prematurity, damage to the brain or spinal cord, sepsis, disease of the middle ear or nasopharynx. If a woman has meningitis during pregnancy, the risk of transmitting the infection to the fetus is very high, and this can lead to developmental disorders of the child. In most cases, meningitis during pregnancy ends in spontaneous abortion or intrauterine fetal death. But even if the fetus survives, doctors usually advise women to terminate their current pregnancy.

Is meningitis contagious - ways of transmission from person to person and how to protect yourself from a dangerous disease

This disease is characterized by the development of an inflammatory process in the meninges; it can cause serious complications, including death. Pathology occurs under the influence of viral agents, in addition, it may have a tuberculous etiology or be a manifestation of meningococcal infection; To avoid infection, it is important to know how meningitis is transmitted. Each type of disease has different transmission routes and characteristic symptoms.

What is meningitis

The pathology is an inflammation of the lining of the brain or spinal cord and can be caused by a variety of pathogens, including bacteria, other pathogenic microorganisms and even parasites. The inflammatory process in the arachnoid mater of the spinal cord or brain is an extremely dangerous disease that varies in etiology, symptoms, routes of transmission, and degree of contagiousness.

Contagious or not

The answer to this question depends on the type of disease and the pathogen that caused its manifestation. Is primary type meningitis transmitted? Doctors note that this type of pathology is almost always contagious. For example, with purulent meningitis, which is stimulated by meningococcal infection, infection occurs through the air and droplets (through sneezing, kissing, coughing, etc.).

Is serous meningitis contagious? The cause of the disease is enterovirus infection. In addition to airborne transmission, the pathology is transmitted through the fecal-oral route (the source of infection is dirty hands) and through household contact: through objects used by the patient. This disease can also be transmitted by swimming in pools or ponds. The secondary disease is often not contagious: in this case, meningitis serves as a complication of other inflammatory processes.

Transmission routes

Bacterial and primary viral meningitis are transmitted from a patient or a carrier of infection to a healthy person in different ways (secondary pathologies, as a rule, are not transmitted). The pathogen is transmitted:

• through water, dirty hands, contaminated objects;
• during sexual intercourse;
• to a child from a mother during childbirth;
• oral-fecal route;
• upon contact with the blood of an infected person or carrier of meningococcal infection;
• in most cases, meningitis is transmitted by airborne droplets;
• through the bite of encephalitis ticks.

In children

Viral meningitis in a child is less dangerous than bacterial meningitis. However, the pathology belongs to the category of infectious and appears under the influence of provoked viruses resistant to the external environment - ECHO and Coxsackie, less often by the mumps virus or adenovirus. The disease is transmitted from a sick person or someone who has been in contact with him. Meningitis enters the body and subsequently develops:

• through dirty hands;
• due to insufficiently purified food products;
• through infected water;
• by airborne droplets in crowded places;
• while swimming in polluted waters.

The viral type of the disease is characterized by the fact that it most often affects children from 2 to 6 years old. Meningitis is rarely transmitted to babies under 6 months of age due to the strong immunity they receive from breastfeeding. As a rule, outbreaks of the serous type of disease are observed in the autumn and summer periods, and sporadic cases of winter viral meningitis are recorded extremely rarely.

How is it transmitted?

Doctors say the main reason why meningitis occurs is infection of the human body by harmful microorganisms of various types. The key routes of transmission are:

1. From mother to child. In this case, the woman in labor often does not have pronounced signs of the disease. Children born by caesarean section are at risk.
2. Airborne path. Microorganisms leave the patient’s body when they cough/sneeze/talk.
3. Oral-fecal method. The infection is transmitted through insufficient hand hygiene.
4. Contact and household path. The occurrence of a bacterial disease is associated with the use of objects that have been touched by a patient or a carrier of infection.
5. Through blood and other biological fluids. The pathology is transmitted through close contact with an infected person or a carrier of pathogenic microorganisms.

Purulent meningitis

How can an adult or child become infected with meningitis? Purulent inflammation occurs due to the lack of treatment for diseases such as:

• caries;
• otitis/sinusitis;
• pharyngitis or rhinitis;
• tonsillitis;
• pneumonia.

A dangerous disease occurs due to the ingestion of E. coli, streptococci or staphylococci into the body. The causative agent of purulent pathology enters the body through the nasopharynx and spreads throughout the body with the help of lymph flow and blood flow. An outbreak of infection occurs if a person has a weakened immune system. In addition, serious head injuries and surgical interventions on the brain and neck are risk factors.

Bacterial

The cause of infection is usually a human carrier of the virus. The bacterial infection enters the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx or bronchi, and then enters the body through the bloodstream. Gradually, pathogenic microorganisms reach the brain, causing clinical symptoms of meningitis. The dangerous disease is transmitted through blood, sputum and saliva. Patients who have this form of the disease are contagious and spread harmful microbes through airborne droplets.

Compared to viral meningitis, bacterial meningitis is not as dangerous: it is milder and less likely to lead to severe complications. In addition, people with normal immunity, as a rule, are not susceptible to infection (even healthy people often have pathogenic bacteria in the nasopharynx). Interestingly, carriers of meningococcal infection cannot develop meningitis. Risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing the disease:

• age (young children get sick more often than adults);
• travel to African countries;
• weakened immune system;
• work in a large team;
• work related to disease-promoting pathogens.

Viral

This type of disease is the most common; it occurs under the influence of harmful bacteria - enteroviruses and as a result of other primary viral infections such as chickenpox or measles. How is this type of meningitis transmitted? The sources of the disease are animals and people who carry or are sick with the virus. The methods of transmission of the disease are:

• oral-fecal (the child did not wash his hands after using the toilet and ate fruit or candy; viruses could be present in the feces that cause the development of pathology);
• airborne (pathogenic bacteria leave the body when sneezing, coughing or talking, the virus is transmitted, in addition, during sexual contact or a kiss with a patient);
• from mother to child (even if a woman has no signs of illness, meningitis can be transmitted from her to the baby during childbirth);
• through contaminated water/products;
• through insect bites (as a rule, such cases are recorded in hot countries);
• contact-household route (meningitis is transmitted after using the things of an infected person).

Tuberculous

To become infected with this form of the disease, the human body must contain tuberculosis microbacteria. If the patient has not effectively treated the primary disease, tuberculous meningitis may develop. You can get sick in other ways:

• through contaminated water, poorly washed foods (vegetables, fruits);
• through blood;
• from rodent excrement;
• by airborne droplets from a patient with an open form of tuberculosis;
• through common household items.

How to protect yourself from meningitis

Knowing how you can get meningitis, you can take care of preventing the disease, which will allow you to avoid dangerous consequences in the form of complications and long-term treatment with antibiotics. For example, since viral meningitis is often transmitted by airborne droplets and due to non-compliance with hygiene rules, preventive measures include:

• avoiding contact with patients with influenza, ARVI, mumps;
• careful processing of food;
• water purification.

Other universal preventive measures that are effective against viral, bacterial, purulent, tuberculous, serous meningitis:

1. If you have been in contact with a patient or someone close to you has an infection, you should immediately hospitalize the person and minimize contact with him. In addition, it is important to observe the rules of personal hygiene especially carefully during this period.
2. If there is an outbreak in your area, it is recommended that you visit public places as little as possible and wash your hands thoroughly with soap after returning home.
3. If the pathology affects people in the barracks or dormitory, then when leaving your room you need to put a medical mask on your face.
4. A mandatory preventive measure is timely treatment of dental diseases and pathologies of the ENT organs.
5. In residential and office premises, it is necessary to regularly destroy rodents and insects that can be carriers of infection.
6. If you suspect that you have had contact with a patient with bacterial meningitis, you should consult a doctor who can prescribe antibacterial drugs to prevent the disease.
7. When traveling to exotic countries where fungal infections are common, doctors may recommend taking antifungal medications for prevention. Insects and animals can act as carriers of the disease in these cases, so it is better to avoid contact with them.
8. Immunotherapy will also be a preventative measure. The doctor may prescribe Interferon instillation for a week. It is worth supporting your own immune system by regular exercise and maintaining a balanced diet.

SEE ALSO: Result of meningitis Otogenic secondary meningitis Meningitis serous rash

Variants of the course of meningitis

Meningitis is most dangerous for children under 5 years of age. Sadly, every 20 baby diagnosed with inflammation of the meninges dies. The most dangerous form of meningitis in newborns is considered to be a disease caused by streptococcal infection. Infection occurs during the baby's passage through the mother's birth canal. In this case, the disease develops at lightning speed and the child either dies within the first month of life or suffers serious developmental disorders. A complicated form of meningitis is no less dangerous for children. And already at the age of 1 to 5 years, children more often suffer from viral meningitis, which usually goes away more easily than bacterial meningitis.

The course of the disease includes three periods: incubation, prodromal and the disease itself. The incubation period is the time from the moment the virus enters the body until the first symptoms of the disease appear. During this period, viruses or bacteria are present in the body in small quantities and therefore do not cause significant concern. Depending on the course of the disease, the incubation period can last from several minutes (rapid development) to several years (chronic inflammation). The duration of the incubation period also depends on the state of the patient’s immune system: the weaker it is, the faster the disease manifests itself. Most often, the incubation period lasts from 1 to 10 days. If the disease was diagnosed in the first two days after infection, then the chances of cure reach 95%.

The fulminant, or fulminant, form of meningitis is the most dangerous. With this form, all stages of the disease pass almost instantly, and death is possible within the first day. Acute meningitis also occurs according to an “accelerated” program: as a rule, 3 days are enough for the infection to reach its peak or even cause the death of the patient.

Purulent meningitis can enter the prodromal stage (the time when classic symptoms of the disease appear) within a few hours after bacteria enter the body. Acute bacterial inflammation progresses very quickly. If the disease was caused by Neisseria meningitidis, the patient may die within a few hours after infection. Against the background of this type of disease, bilateral hemorrhagic adrenal infarction (Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome) is possible. And the disease caused by the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae, or hemophilus influenzae meningitis, is more common in countries where vaccination against hemophilus influenzae is not carried out.

During the acute period of the disease, it develops from several days to several weeks, and chronic meningitis manifests itself no earlier than 4 weeks after infection. In addition, while most forms of inflammation in the brain occur rather quickly, chronic meningitis can drag on for even more than 25 years. In this case, the disease develops gradually, and it is almost impossible to determine when the infection entered the body.

Sometimes inflammation of the meninges returns even after successful treatment. Relapse can be caused by viruses, bacteria or non-infectious factors. The most common cause of recurrent disease is herpes simplex virus type 2 (Mollare meningitis). Bacterial meningitis can recur due to congenital or acquired defects of the base of the skull or spine.

Common features

Pathology is caused by a variety of microorganisms:

• bacteria;
• viruses;
• fungi;
• protozoa.

Depending on the nature of the pathogen and a person’s immune strength, meningitis occurs in different forms and with different consequences. The mild form, if treatment is started in a timely manner, leaves virtually no consequences. But such cases are rare in medical practice.

As a rule, the first symptoms of the disease resemble a cold, so contacting a doctor is postponed. Advanced cases lead to damage to nerve structures that take a long time to recover or do not recover at all.

Symptoms

The insidiousness of meningitis lies in its rapid development. Medicine knows of cases where death occurred just a few hours after the onset of the acute period of the disease. In the classic version, the incubation period of meningitis in most cases lasts from 4 days to a week. Timely diagnosis of the disease significantly increases the chances of successful treatment of the patient. However, in most cases, the symptoms accompanying the onset of meningitis are not perceived by the patient as an alarming signal; the disease manifests itself as general infectious symptoms: the patient experiences chills, fever, elevated body temperature, and in some cases, skin rashes may appear.

The main symptom of meningitis is headache, which becomes more intense as the disease progresses. The nature of the pain is bursting, the pain can be very intense. In this case, the pain can be localized to the forehead and back of the head, radiating to the neck and spine. Bursting pain is associated with increased intracranial pressure as a result of the action of pathogen toxins. The pain syndrome intensifies when moving the head, as well as due to loud sounds and bright lights. Another sign important for differentiating the nature of a headache is rigidity (strong tension) of the neck muscles. Patients with meningitis (adults and children) do not lie in the usual position on their back. To ease the pain, they turn on their side, tuck their knees to their stomach and instinctively throw their head back.

Inflammation of the membranes of the brain is in many cases accompanied by nausea and severe vomiting. Moreover, the gag reflex does not stop even with a complete refusal of food. In addition, the patient’s body temperature rises (intermittently or remains consistently high at 39-40 degrees) and is not controlled by traditional antipyretics, severe weakness and sweating appear. The patient complains of intolerance to bright light, which worsens the headache. The presence of meningitis can also be suspected in cases where a bursting headache is accompanied by a disturbance of consciousness (a person answers questions slowly and with difficulty or does not respond to requests at all). Mental disorders indicating inflammation of the membranes of the brain can manifest as hallucinations, apathy or aggression. The patient may experience leg and/or arm cramps, muscle pain, and squint (if the inflammation has spread to the optic nerves).

In addition to the classic ones, specific signs will help to recognize meningitis in young children: Kernig's sign and the upper Brudzinski's sign. In the first case, a child lying on his back with his legs raised will not be able to straighten them at the knee joints. The second symptom is also determined in the supine position. If a baby, raising his head, involuntarily bends his knees, this may also indicate inflammation in the meninges. To identify the disease in infants, the fontanel is examined: its swelling and tension are an alarming signal. Another sign of inflammation of the meninges in children is a rash, which is then replaced by specific bright burgundy spots that spread over the baby’s entire body.

Meningococcal infection - treatment

At the first suspicion of MI, the person should be hospitalized immediately and therapy should be started immediately. When a meningococcal infection is diagnosed, treatment with penicillin antibiotics is prescribed in most cases. These antibacterial agents are considered the most effective in combating the causative agent of the disease. For nasopharyngitis, nasal rinsing with antiseptics and vitamin therapy are additionally prescribed.

Therapy for infection with meningococci is carried out by specialists in a hospital setting, but when a patient’s meningococcal infection worsens, first aid should be provided immediately. Shock is effectively treated with antipyretic injections. To eliminate excessive agitation and convulsions, you can use Sibazon solution.

Antibiotics effectively kill meningococcus, which is why they are used to fight infection. Although medicine is constantly improving, Penicillin has remained the No. 1 killer of meningococcus for many decades. It is administered at a dose of 200–300 units/kg body weight per day. In most cases, this amount of the drug is divided into 5-6 doses. Penicillin is administered intramuscularly. In addition to Penicillin, therapy can be carried out:

• Ampicillin;
• Ceftriaxone;
• Cefotaxime.

All doses are calculated individually by the attending physician, taking into account the characteristics of the body. If the patient suffers from intolerance to beta-lactam antibacterial drugs, they can be replaced with Chloramphenicol. Its standard dosage varies from 80 to 100 mg/kg per day and should be divided into at least three doses. Meropenem is sometimes used to combat purulent meningitis.

A set of measures helps to cope with meningococcemia:

• detoxification;
• normalization of electrolyte balance;
• symptomatic therapy;
• correction of acid-base balance;
• use of glucocorticosteroids.

When answering the question of whether meningitis is contagious, it is important to remember that the disease is caused by different pathogens. When it comes to primary infection, it is almost universally contagious. If inflammation of the meninges is a consequence of another disease, then there is often no threat of infection.

Inflammation of the meninges is classified as a serious and dangerous disease that causes severe complications. You can avoid infection if you understand how meningitis is transmitted, what its symptoms are and the degree of contagiousness.

Diagnostics

An experienced doctor may suspect meningitis in a patient based on external clinical signs, but they are not enough to make an accurate diagnosis. It is important not only to confirm or deny the presence of the disease, but also to determine its type and stage of development. To do this, the patient undergoes a comprehensive examination, which includes a complete blood count (CBC), a general urinalysis and a smear from the pharynx mucosa. One of the main confirmatory tests is spinal cord puncture and laboratory diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Since the brain and spinal cord are in constant contact, clouded cerebrospinal fluid is always considered as the main marker of meningitis.

If during a puncture there are signs of increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure (cerebrospinal fluid flows out in a trickle or in frequent drops), experts regard this as one of the laboratory signs of meningitis. In addition, the color of the cerebrospinal fluid in a sick person changes: it becomes cloudy white or yellowish-green. Not only a cerebrospinal fluid analysis, but also a blood test can also tell about the disease. In the presence of the disease, an increased amount of protein, lymphocytes or neutrophils is observed. The patient's sugar and chloride levels also typically increase.

Differential diagnosis of the disease is based on biochemical analysis of the cellular composition of the cerebrospinal fluid.
To identify the causative agent of the disease, bacteriological and bacterioscopic examination of the cerebrospinal fluid is carried out. Using serodiagnosis, the presence of antigens and antibodies to various pathogens in the patient’s body is determined. Approximate test results for meningitis

The results of a blood test reveal neutrophilia or lymphocytosis, indicating an inflammatory disease, as well as the ESR indicator - erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which in high values ​​also confirms the presence of an inflammatory process. In addition to laboratory examination of the cerebrospinal fluid and blood, the doctor will definitely need the patient’s medical history, he will conduct a thorough neurological examination, and suggest a computer or magnetic resonance imaging scan. Using an MRI or CT scan, a specialist will be able to examine the condition of the meninges and find the source of inflammation. During a conversation with the patient, the doctor will ask how long ago the headaches began, and whether the patient has been bitten by ticks or mosquitoes (carriers of the pathogen, particularly in Africa and Central Asia).

If meningitis is suspected in a child, before a puncture is performed on the baby, he should be examined by an ENT specialist, a neurologist, a neurosurgeon and a hematologist to exclude other possible causes of the malaise.

Tuberculous form of meningitis

You can become infected with the tuberculosis form only if there are bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in the body. If tuberculosis has not been completely cured, the risk of developing a secondary meningitis infection increases. Using contaminated water, eating poorly processed food, and contacting the blood of a carrier of tuberculosis bacteria are possible ways of transmitting meningitis.

Rodent excrement is also dangerous. The open form of tuberculosis is contagious and is easily transmitted by air and droplets or through household objects.

Treatment

Any inflammatory processes in the body are very serious. And if the inflammation occurs in the brain, then there can be no talk of any self-medication at home. Folk methods and alternative medicine cannot replace the necessary drug therapy. Meningitis should only be treated by a doctor and only in a hospital. The sooner a patient seeks help from a specialist, the more favorable the prognosis. Medical products (drugs, medicines, vitamins, medicines) are mentioned for informational purposes. We do not recommend using them without a doctor's prescription. We recommend reading: “Why can’t you take medications without a doctor’s prescription?” The doctor can draw up a comprehensive treatment program only after receiving the results of the patient’s examinations. Meanwhile, in the case of meningitis, when the clock is ticking, not a minute can be lost. As an emergency treatment, all patients with suspected meningitis are prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics. At the beginning of treatment, the doctor may prescribe drugs from the group of penicillins, cephalosporins, and macrolides. This will neutralize the bacteria that cause purulent meningitis. For antibiotics to start working immediately, the medicine is usually administered intravenously (drip), and in very severe cases - directly into the cerebrospinal fluid. Treatment of serous meningitis is carried out with the additional use of antiviral drugs. In addition to specific antibacterial or antiviral therapy selected for sensitivity, patients are prescribed nootropic and vascular drugs - Nootropil, Piracetam or their analogues are taken to restore nerve cells and the condition of blood vessels. As anti-inflammatory drugs, doctors provide hormonal therapy to patients with drugs such as Prednisolone, Dexamethasone, Methylprednisolone or Hydrocortisone.

Diuretic therapy is also used in the treatment regimen for meningitis. Diuretic medications are needed to relieve brain swelling.

Regardless of the form and stage of meningitis, children and adults are always prescribed vitamins and minerals. These substances are necessary to maintain immunity, which is always reduced during brain inflammation, as well as to restore the supply of nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of the patient’s systems and organs.

Preventive actions

When a source of infection is identified, it is necessary to take care of the protection of the healthy population and take preventive measures aimed at ensuring it. In addition, following a number of rules will help avoid infection:

• Do not swim in dirty ponds;
• the time spent among large numbers of people should be reduced;
• it is necessary to thoroughly wash the products and subject them to good heat treatment;
• regularly do wet cleaning in the house;
• Drink only high-quality water.

If your place of residence is a dormitory where infection has been detected, you should wear a cotton-gauze bandage. A preventative procedure would be regular visits to the dentist and otolaryngologist. Residential and office premises should be checked for the presence of rodents and insects. If they are discovered, it is necessary to take measures to destroy them.

This disease is characterized by the development of an inflammatory process in the meninges; it can cause serious complications, including death. Pathology occurs under the influence of viral agents, in addition, it may have a tuberculous etiology or be a manifestation of meningococcal infection; To avoid infection, it is important to know how meningitis is transmitted. Each type of disease has different transmission routes and characteristic symptoms.

Prevention

The question of whether it is possible to become infected with meningitis interests many. But other problems are no less pressing: how to protect yourself from the disease and are there any vaccinations against brain inflammation? Meningitis is a contagious disease. But even if a child or adult is surrounded by a patient with inflammation of the meninges, one should not take this fact as a sentence of imminent infection. Meanwhile, protection should be taken care of in advance.

One of the most effective measures to prevent bacterial meningitis is vaccination against pathogens. Currently, there are three types of vaccines against meningitis: protein, polysaccharide and conjugate. In each group of vaccines, there are drugs that are most suitable for different age categories. Which vaccine to choose for an adult or a child, and how often to vaccinate, should be determined by the attending physician.

Vaccination is, although not 100 percent, still a good guarantee that a healthy person will not become infected.

To protect yourself or your child from infection with viral meningitis, it is also important to follow the rules of hygiene and sanitary standards, eat only clean fruits and vegetables, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap before each meal. The most common source of meningitis infection in the summer is polluted water bodies. To protect yourself from problems, it is important to avoid swimming and especially not to drink water from them.

An excellent way to prevent meningitis is to avoid contact with an infected person. But if this has already happened, you should undergo a course of chemoprophylaxis. It is also mandatory to disinfect the room where the patient was, and monitor contact persons. If contact with a carrier of infection is inevitable (for example, someone in the household is sick), respirators or gauze dressings must be used to prevent infection by airborne droplets. Remember: the infection initially enters the upper respiratory tract of a person, settles on the mucous membranes, and then spreads throughout the body. But infection by airborne droplets does not always occur, but only in cases of reduced immunity and impaired functionality of the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from harmful substances. To prevent infection, family members are prescribed a course of rifampicin and vaccination using a conjugate vaccine. By the way, many people are interested in whether it is possible to get meningitis again. As a rule, this does not happen, but the possibility cannot be completely ruled out.

Is meningitis contagious: methods of transmission and preventive measures

When answering the question of whether meningitis is contagious, it is important to remember that the disease is caused by different pathogens. When it comes to primary infection, it is almost universally contagious. If inflammation of the meninges is a consequence of another disease, then there is often no threat of infection.

Inflammation of the meninges is classified as a serious and dangerous disease that causes severe complications. You can avoid infection if you understand how meningitis is transmitted, what its symptoms are and the degree of contagiousness.

Common features

Pathology is caused by a variety of microorganisms:

Depending on the nature of the pathogen and a person’s immune strength, meningitis occurs in different forms and with different consequences. The mild form, if treatment is started in a timely manner, leaves virtually no consequences. But such cases are rare in medical practice.

As a rule, the first symptoms of the disease resemble a cold, so contacting a doctor is postponed. Advanced cases lead to damage to nerve structures that take a long time to recover or do not recover at all.

Contagiousness of the disease

The nature of the ongoing inflammation makes it possible to determine whether this type of meningitis is purulent or serous. Purulent is divided into primary and secondary in origin.

Is serous meningitis contagious? The enterovirus type of infection causes the disease. The enterovirus group (which includes the ECHO viruses and the Coxsackie virus) is characterized by reproduction in the human gastrointestinal tract. Being in the respiratory tract, microbes find an easy way to spread - airborne droplets.

Another transmission option is nutritional, when the source of microbes is dirty hands or unwashed food. Contact-household transmission of an infectious disease (through objects used by the patient) is also common in the case of a viral form of the disease.

How do you get meningitis? The bacterium meningococcus contributes to the development of purulent inflammation. Its natural reservoir is the human nasopharynx, so meningitis is transmitted by airborne droplets. Staying in the same room with a sick person increases the risk of infection.

Therefore, the answer to the question of whether purulent meningitis is contagious or not will be definitely positive if we are talking about the primary version of the disease. The secondary type often does not pose a threat to others, since meningitis here turns out to be a complication of other inflammatory processes in the body.

Transfer options

Is it possible to become infected with meningitis without direct contact with a sick person? Viral and bacterial meningitis are transmitted in a variety of ways. The most common transmission options are contact with dirty hands, unprotected sexual intercourse, passage through the birth canal, encephalitis tick bites, and swimming in dirty water.

Infectious will be carriers of the infection whose immunity does not allow the disease to develop. Microbes can be transmitted to a healthy person from a sick person in various ways. The issue of transmitting the disease to a small child can be considered separately.

Child infection

For a child, the viral version of the disease occurs with less risk than the bacterial one. In addition to the ECHO and Coxsackie viruses, the disease is sometimes provoked by an adenovirus. Children who do not receive their mother's breast milk and those under six years old are at risk. Viral infectious meningitis is most often transmitted by them.

Infants up to six months are protected through natural breastfeeding. Milk contains all the necessary substances and antibodies that make the baby’s immunity resistant to diseases.

The children's age category becomes vulnerable in the summer and autumn, especially when it comes to serous meningitis. In winter, sporadic cases of infection are rarely observed.

Viral nature of inflammation

This type of disease is characterized by the widest distribution. It is caused by enteroviruses or measles or chickenpox, which appeared chronologically first. How can you get this type of meningitis? Sick people, as well as carriers of the virus without signs of illness, will be potentially dangerous. Animals are also considered carriers.

One of the methods of infection is airborne, when a person sneezing or coughing releases a huge amount of germs into the air. Kissing and unprotected sex can also spread the virus. The oral-fecal or nutritional route is another option for infection. If hygiene rules are not followed, hands are not washed after using the toilet, and infection opens a wide way for the transition to a healthy person.

The virus can be transmitted to a baby passing through the birth canal from the mother. The contact and household route of transmission makes itself felt when using the things of a sick person.

Bacterial nature of inflammation

It is worth emphasizing once again: meningitis is an infectious disease, and the main cause of infection lies in the carrier of the virus. The path of bacterial infection begins in the nasopharynx and continues through the bloodstream. Microbes can reach the brain, causing clinical symptoms of meningitis.

All patients with this form of the disease are considered infectious; they release germs into the air. People with normal immune systems have a low risk of infection. Pathogenic microbes are sometimes accidentally found in the nasopharynx of a healthy person without symptoms of disease.

Factors that increase the likelihood of infection are:

• age (adults are less susceptible to pathology compared to young children);
• weak immunity (against the background of other diseases);
• constant presence in crowded places;
• work in a pathogenic environment;
• travel to countries with open foci of infection.

Fungi and amoeba as a cause of meningitis

When cryptococci, candida and other yeasts enter the body, there is a risk of developing fungal meningitis. Everyone is potentially susceptible to the disease, but it can manifest itself in people with weak immune systems or through abuse of hormonal drugs. The risk group also includes cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Once in the bloodstream, the fungus quickly leads to infection of the brain, and inflammation of the membranes begins. Fungal meningitis is not a contagious disease.

The amoeba Naegleria Fowlera can cause primary meningoencephalitis, a rare disease that in most cases leads to death. The parasite enters a person when he swims in a fresh body of water with a water temperature of 25-30 °C. Through the nose, the amoeba moves to the olfactory nerve, from there moving to the brain. The incubation period lasts about three days, moving into the active stage on the fourth day.

Modern medicine has developed drugs that can slow down the progression of the disease. It is impossible to catch it from another person. Prevention is to avoid swimming in bodies of water.

Tuberculous form of meningitis

You can become infected with the tuberculosis form only if there are bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in the body. If tuberculosis has not been completely cured, the risk of developing a secondary meningitis infection increases. Using contaminated water, eating poorly processed food, and contacting the blood of a carrier of tuberculosis bacteria are possible ways of transmitting meningitis.

Rodent excrement is also dangerous. The open form of tuberculosis is contagious and is easily transmitted by air and droplets or through household objects.

Recommendations and contraindications

If meningitis was diagnosed on time and treatment was successful, a person has a chance to live a long, fulfilling life. But for everything to be exactly like this, after completing treatment in a hospital, you will have to follow the doctor’s recommendations.

After meningitis, it is important to continue monitoring with a doctor: you should be examined by a neurologist every three months for at least 2 years. In addition, some restrictions are temporarily imposed on the regime and way of life. It is forbidden to fly on airplanes for at least 6 months after illness. Flying during this period is dangerous because intracranial pressure changes sharply during the flight, which can negatively affect the restoration of liquorodynamics after inflammation of the meninges. Also, doctors do not advise going to the seaside immediately after an illness, especially for children. The temporary ban also applies to sports: after illness, heavy physical activity should be avoided for about 2 years.

You will also have to reconsider your usual diet: give up fatty and fried foods in favor of boiled, stewed, baked or steamed. For meat, give preference to dietary varieties: rabbit, veal, poultry, and fish. It is useful to eat boiled porridge as a side dish, and heat-treat fruits and vegetables before eating. It is useful to eat low-fat dairy foods; the best drinks are jelly and compotes, if tea is not strong. The diet after meningitis completely excludes alcohol. Physical exercises and massages are presented for informational purposes. We do not recommend using them without a doctor's advice. We recommend reading: “When can physical exercise and massage pose a threat to health?” Physiotherapy during the rehabilitation period should consist of a course of massage, electrophoresis with the use of medications. To restore cognitive functions and coordination, they resort to magnetic and magnetic laser therapy, and use electrosleep. A course of physical therapy will help restore motor function. But for this you need to exercise under the supervision of a physical therapy specialist. To restore range of motion, strength and coordination, occupational therapy is used, and a cognitive program is necessary to restore memory, attention and logical thinking.

Possible complications

Inflammation of the meninges itself is a serious problem. But against the background of this disease, other, no less complex complications are possible.

One of the most common is cerebral edema. As a rule, a critical excess of cerebrospinal fluid accumulates already on the second day of the disease. A complication can be suspected based on several external signs. The patient suddenly loses consciousness, develops shortness of breath, and blood pressure readings either sharply decrease or increase. There are also jumps in heart rate: from severe bradycardia (slow) to tachycardia (rapid). If cerebral edema is not removed in time, death is possible, which usually occurs due to paralysis of the respiratory center.

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The second common danger is infectious-toxic shock. It occurs as a result of poisoning of the body by decay products of pathogenic microorganisms. Against the background of this process, the patient’s body temperature usually drops, but intolerance to light and loud sounds increases, and shortness of breath appears. In many cases, infectious-toxic shock occurs along with cerebral edema. The result is coma and death within a few hours.

After suffering from meningitis, the body will need time to recover. Sometimes quite long. If the inflammatory process was caused by meningococcal infection, then there remains a high risk of damage to other organs or entire body systems. Only timely seeking medical help can prevent serious consequences.

Meningitis can cause deafness, paralysis, epilepsy, and hormonal disorders. In children, hydrocephalus, complete deafness or blindness, acute renal failure, developmental delays, and cerebroasthenia are possible. Often, inflammation of the membranes of the brain in children ends in death.

Diagnosis of the inflammatory process

How easy it is to recover from the disease will depend on the timeliness and correctness of complex therapy.
The incubation period of the disease is 1-3 weeks. Basic diagnostic methods:

1. The presence of muscle rigidity in the occipital region, a feverish state, attacks of unbearable headaches are symptoms of meningitis.
2. A set of studies to determine the form of the disease.
3. Puncture of cerebrospinal fluid (protein level, sugar level, culture).

Non-infectious meningeal infection is diagnosed when the level of leukocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid is elevated, but the disease is not complicated by other pathogens. If a cystic formation in the brain is suspected, the patient is prescribed a CT or MRI.

Analysis determining the level of protein, sugar and culture

We answer your questions

Do they take you into the army after meningitis?

The question of whether people with meningitis are accepted into the army is of interest to many. Let us say right away that no one with an illness will be taken to the barracks directly, since any inflammation (especially the meninges) should be hospitalized. Workers diagnosed with meningitis are unconditionally given sick leave. If cases of the disease are recorded in a school or kindergarten, the educational institution is closed for quarantine. But what awaits the young man who suffered from meningitis several years ago? If there is documentary evidence of illness, the conscript automatically enters the reserve.

Meanwhile, the issue of compatibility between the army and meningitis is of interest not only to those who have had the disease, but also to healthy conscripts. Can you get meningitis in the army? Theoretically, such a risk exists, as, indeed, in boarding schools, schools, kindergartens, sanatoriums or children's camps. Therefore, to avoid an epidemic, vaccination is carried out. Conscripts should be vaccinated against meningitis approximately 75-80 days before conscription.

Types of pathogens

If you ask a person who does not have a medical education what pathogens can cause meningitis, most people will easily name only meningococcus, which is transmitted by airborne droplets. Of course, meningococcus is the most common cause of the disease, but other pathogenic microorganisms can also provoke it:

Non-infectious factors are included in a separate group. With them, the disease is no less severe, but infection is not necessary for the development of the disease. Non-infectious factors include:

• autoimmune processes (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatism, etc.);
• surgical interventions that affected brain tissue;
• oncological processes;
• head injuries and concussions;
• taking certain medications.

But regardless of the cause of the disease, the inflammatory process of the meninges always leads to disruption of the central nervous system and can lead to various complications. In order to avoid the occurrence of pathological processes, you need to know how to prevent pathogenic factors from entering the body.