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Bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening infection that can cause inflammation in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include headache, stiff neck, and fever. Prompt treatment with intravenous antibiotics is crucial, and a vaccine is available to protect against some of the organisms that cause the infection.
Bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening infection seen in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. People can die of bacterial meningitis within hours, making it crucial to provide treatment as soon as possible. With prompt treatment, many patients have a very good prognosis. If treatment is delayed, a patient may suffer an insult to the brain leading to disability or the patient may die from the infection.
Several bacteria can cause bacterial meningitis. They can cross the barrier that normally keeps organisms out of the brain from aggressive sinus and ear infections or head trauma that creates an open wound. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae type b have all been linked to bacterial meningitis. When they enter the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, the immune system responds, causing inflammation.
The triad of symptoms that characterize bacterial meningitis are: headache, stiff neck and fever. The patient may also develop nausea, confusion and fatigue. In very young children sometimes these symptoms are not so identifiable and the patient may instead be restless and fussy. Complications of inflammation can include blood clots, strokes, and brain herniation, in which the brain swells and cell death occurs as pressure increases within the skull. Patients can develop seizures, go into shock, or fall into a coma if left untreated.
As soon as a doctor identifies bacterial meningitis, intravenous antibiotics are given. An antibiotic cocktail is usually used because there is not enough time to find out which organism is responsible. Supportive care may be provided to help the patient breathe and to deal with complications that may arise, such as surgery to relieve pressure within the skull. If the treatment is successful, the patient can make a full recovery. Patients who develop cognitive impairments due to bacterial meningitis may benefit from physical, language and other therapies to help them remap their brains to recover from the brain injury.
The organisms that cause bacterial meningitis are contagious, but close contact is usually required to pass them from person to person. People can reduce their risks of developing or passing on this dangerous infection by washing their hands regularly and observing basic sanitation guidelines such as covering their mouth and nose while sneezing. Additionally, a vaccine is available to protect people against some of the organisms that cause bacterial meningitis, and is often recommended for people who will be living in confined spaces such as college dorms and military barracks.
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