What’s Waterhouse-Friderichsen Syndrome?

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Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome is a very severe form of meningococcal septicemia. It is characterized by a hemorrhage in the adrenal glands, causing them to fail. The syndrome is caused by a severe bacterial infection, most commonly a severe meningococcal infection. Children and adolescents have the highest risk for this disease, but adults can also be affected. This condition is life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention.

The early symptoms of Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome are fever, severe headache, vomiting, changes in mood or mental state, and rigor, which is tremors caused by a high fever. As the disease progresses, a red or purplish rash appears, which is often accompanied by low blood pressure. This is the onset of what is called septic shock, which can progress very quickly. Septic shock is a medical emergency. It is caused by a severe and overwhelming infection, which is most often bacterial, but can also be caused by a systemic fungal infection or, in rare cases, a viral infection.

Later symptoms of Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome include bleeding in the adrenal glands, causing them to close and blood pressure becoming life-threatening. Kidney function is disrupted or stops altogether. Heart function also becomes unstable.

A rash, called petechiae or purpura, begins to spread very quickly. This rash includes red or purple patches of skin that don’t paler when pressure is applied to them. Both are caused by bleeding under the skin from some sort of overwhelming infection. The main difference between the two is that petechiae are very small specks, while purpuras are larger and often look bruised. They can appear anywhere on the body and usually come out in clusters.

Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome can be caused by any serious bacterial infection, but is most commonly caused by a meningococcal infection, also known as meningitis. Meningococcal meningitis causes the meninges, the membranes that cover the spinal cord and brain, to swell and inflame. The bacterium most commonly associated with this condition is Neisseria meningitidis, also known as meningococcus.

The times of the year when meningococcal meningitis is most common are spring and winter. It is highly contagious and can be easily transmitted to close contacts, such as school students, military personnel, and children and daycare workers. Testing for this disease involves a lumbar puncture, commonly called a lumbar puncture. The spinal fluid is extracted via a needle and collected in a syringe, then tested in a laboratory for infection.

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