Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites, as well as non-infectious agents, such as trauma caused by violent blows to the head, for example.
Signs and symptoms of meningitis in adults appear suddenly and are initially characterized by high fever, higher than 39 degrees Celsius and severe headaches, making it easier to confuse the disease with a common flu or daily discomfort.
- The severity of the disease and treatment vary depending on the causal agent.
- With the bacterial form being the most severe.
- Find out how the clinical diagnosis of meningitis is made.
When it is a serious illness, it is recommended to pay attention to the appearance of the following symptoms that show that meningitis may occur:
In addition, red or purple spots may appear on the skin of different sizes, which characterizes meningococcal meningitis, a severe form of the disease.
Confirmation of the diagnosis of meningitis is done by laboratory tests, using blood or cerebrospinal fluid, which is the fluid present in the spine. These tests let us know what type of disease and which treatment is most appropriate.
The number of adults aged 20 to 39 infected with a form of meningitis has increased in recent years. However, children between 0 and 5 years of age are still at risk of meningitis, due to the immaturity of the immune system, if contact with an infected child is suspected, care should be sought at the nearest health center. .
The treatment of meningitis is performed in the hospital with the use of drugs depending on the causal agent of the disease, the most commonly used may be:
In the case of viral meningitis, antiviral drugs may be used, depending on the type of virus that caused the disease, but in most cases the person will be under observation to check the vital signs and if there is no worsening of the case, only emergency medications are used. Symptoms. The cure for viral meningitis is spontaneous and occurs within a few weeks.
See more details on treating meningitis
The main way to prevent meningitis is the vaccine, which protects against various forms of the disease. However, these vaccines are not commonly used in adults, but in newborns and children up to age 12, according to the vaccination schedule. Learn more about vaccines that protect against meningitis.
In addition, washing your hands frequently and keeping parts well ventilated and clean also helps prevent meningitis transmission.
The most common way to become infected with meningitis is to come into direct contact with the respiratory secretions of people who have had meningitis in the last seven days, such as sneezing, coughing or even droplets of saliva that remain in the air after an indoor conversation. .