Meningitis and encephalitis are brain infections caused by bacteria or viruses transmitted through bodily fluids. Meningitis affects the protective lining of the brain and spinal cord, while encephalitis affects the brain itself. Both can cause serious side effects, including paralysis and brain damage, and can even lead to death. Symptoms include headache, stiff neck, fever, confusion, and nausea. Treatment is crucial to prevent severe complications.
Meningitis and encephalitis are both infections that affect the brain. The difference between the two is observed in the region of the brain they infect. Each of these infection processes can cause inflammation or swelling of the brain and could trigger serious side effects or even death.
While both infections affect the brain, meningitis attacks the meninges or the protective film-like lining of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms can come on quickly and often include severe headache, stiff neck, and possible fever. Encephalitis, on the other hand, affects the brain itself, causing flu-like symptoms. Each condition can occur alone or in combination with each other.
Both conditions can cause problems with things like memory, concentration and sleep. Each condition can also cause confusion, nausea with or without vomiting, and possible seizure activity. Meningitis can also present with skin discoloration or a rash. Encephalitis can trigger problems with sensation or feeling in the limbs, possibly resulting in weakness or even paralysis.
The infection that causes meningitis and encephalitis is usually caused by a bacterium or virus transmitted by close contact with an infected person, commonly through an exchange of bodily fluids. The bacteria that cause these conditions can survive and be carried in saliva, nasal secretions, or intestinal excreta. Getting these infections can happen by sharing personal items or even by living in close proximity to an infected person. Once inside the body, the infection enters the bloodstream and travels to the brain.
Swelling caused by meningitis and encephalitis may resolve on its own, depending on the severity of the infection. Serious and long-lasting side effects of meningitis and encephalitis can include things like speech, hearing, vision, or memory difficulties and changes in behavior or mood. Severe cases of both infections can also include loss of muscle coordination or the inability to move a particular body part, also known as paralysis, and brain damage.
Severe meningitis has the potential to cause certain organs in the body to fail, especially the kidneys. Left untreated, meningitis can also cause the body to go into shock, a life-threatening condition in which the body doesn’t circulate enough blood, significantly decreasing the amount of oxygen and nutrients traveling through the body.
Encephalitis can affect breathing causing difficulty breathing or severe breathing problems. Respiratory discomfort, such as shock, reduces the amount of oxygen moving through the body. If the infection process is severe enough, it can cause the body to fall into a coma, a state of unconsciousness. Meningitis and encephalitis, if not treated in their most dangerous state, could even cause death.
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