Bacterial meningitis - does the patient have a chance?

Meningitis is characterized by inflammation of the meninges of the spinal cord and brain. The disease is classified as infectious. Meningitis affects adults and children. In children, meningitis often occurs in a fulminant or acute form. Adults are more likely to suffer from meningitis caused by meningococcal infection; women are sick less often than men.

The Yusupov Hospital diagnoses and treats meningitis. In the laboratory you can undergo a number of tests for the causative agent of the disease, and experienced doctors provide consultations in the hospital. Meningitis can have a fulminant course, in which case qualified assistance should be provided immediately. With meningitis, it is very important that the diagnosis be made in the first days of the disease.

Causes of signs of meningitis

Meningitis can be of infectious or non-infectious origin. The infectious form of the disease develops as a result of the penetration of microorganisms into the body: bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Non-infectious meningitis develops in patients as a result of taking certain medications and the formation of tumors.

In medicine, classification is used according to the type of pathogenic microorganisms. It is important for a modern person to know how to recognize meningitis and what types of disease exist:

• bacterial meningitis is most often caused by streptococci, meningococci, pneumococci and Haemophilus influenzae, which are transmitted by airborne droplets;
• viral meningitis. The most common form of the disease. This type is characterized by the least severity. The causative agents of viral meningitis are enteroviruses;
• fungal meningitis develops as a result of the activity of certain types of fungal microorganisms;
• parasitic meningitis.

The list of therapeutic measures for meningitis is determined by the factors that caused the development of the disease. Thus, when treating bacterial meningitis, antibiotics are prescribed, which are ineffective for viral meningitis. If a person knows how to recognize meningitis, then the likelihood of diagnosing the disease at the initial stage and the effectiveness of therapeutic measures are high.

To determine the causes of meningitis, specialists at the Yusupov Hospital use modern diagnostic equipment. An important advantage of examinations at the Yusupov Hospital is that patients do not need to wait in lines, since appointments with specialists can be made in advance.

Expert opinion

Andrey Igorevich Volkov

Neurologist, Candidate of Medical Sciences

For several years in a row, infectious diseases have been among the causes of the development of pathologies of the nervous system. Meningitis accounts for 30-40% of cases. Modern drugs and high-quality diagnostics do not guarantee the absence of death. Mortality is explained by late seeking of medical help. Doctors associate this with the atypical course of meningitis, when the symptoms are not specific for a long time.

It is not possible to determine meningitis on your own. The clinical picture of the disease is varied. Signs differ according to the etiological factor. The initial symptoms of meningitis are often mistaken for cold symptoms. As the infection spreads, the condition worsens sharply. The high risk of death due to meningitis persists for 1-2 days from the onset of the first pathological symptoms. Delayed diagnosis and therapy lead to the development of severe, life-threatening complications. Therefore, it is important to immediately consult a doctor if you suspect the development of meningitis. At the Yusupov Hospital, the examination takes a minimum amount of time. The treatment plan is determined in accordance with the identified pathogen.

Health care

There are no drugs to treat this disease yet. Patients are prescribed large doses of antibiotics intravenously to suppress the inflammatory process, the nasopharynx is washed with saline solution and drugs are given to increase the body's resistance.

Treatment is prescribed immediately, and in this case, several medications are tested to combat possible infectious agents. But after accurately identifying the bacteria that caused the disease, only one or two of the most effective medications remain.

It is imperative to monitor the water-salt balance due to possible dehydration of the body through diarrhea, vomiting and elevated body temperature.

Since meningitis is dangerous due to its complications, it is imperative to monitor the condition of all internal organs, and especially control blood pressure.

REMEMBER: treatment of bacterial meningitis should not be delayed under any circumstances; the slightest delay can lead to paralysis and death of the patient!

Risk group

Children and the elderly are at risk for meningitis. In addition, this disease is often diagnosed in people with an absent spleen and immunodeficiency.

The spread of meningitis, like all other infectious diseases, is more active in crowded places, closed groups, for example, in kindergartens, schools, student dormitories, barracks, since it is easier to get meningitis if you are in the company of asymptomatic carriers.

Most often, meningitis is transmitted by airborne droplets. This mechanism of infection transmission is considered the most common and characteristic of meningitis of viral origin. The infectious agent is transmitted through coughing, sneezing, kissing and sexual contact.

Newborn babies can become infected from an infected mother through the birth canal. The likelihood of infection is especially high in children born by caesarean section. Bacterial and viral meningitis can be transmitted this way.

Infection with meningitis can occur through the oral-fecal route: through dirty food or untreated water.

In addition, meningitis can develop as a result of the bite of an insect or animal that carries an infectious agent.

Expert opinion

Andrey Igorevich Volkov

Neurologist, Candidate of Medical Sciences

Meningitis of any origin is a dangerous infectious disease that affects adults and children. Without timely treatment, death occurs in 80% of cases. It has been proven that, despite the initiation of therapy, 10% of patients die within the first day from the onset of pathological symptoms. Meningitis most often affects children. Viral etiology accounts for 60–70% of cases. Fungal meningitis accounts for 1–3%. It is not possible to diagnose and treat an infectious disease at home. Therefore, it is necessary to seek medical help soon after the first signs of the disease appear.

The most informative method for diagnosing meningitis is lumbar puncture. The causative agent of the disease is sown in the cerebrospinal fluid. To identify the localization of the pathological focus in the brain area, neurologists at the Yusupov Hospital prescribe MRI and CT. Etiotropic therapy is selected depending on the results obtained. Symptomatic treatment is aimed at alleviating the general condition. Vaccination is considered the only reliable means of preventing meningitis.

Epidemiology of the disease

The causative agent of the purulent form of the disease is meningococcus, pneumococcus, staphylococcus. Meningococci do not survive well in environmental conditions (they die from any influence). The source of the viral form is a sick person or a healthy meningococcal carrier .
The pathogen penetrates through the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx. Pathological processes affect the soft membrane and partly the substance of the brain. Preschool children and men are especially susceptible to the disease.

Outbreaks most often occur from February to April. Among the provoking factors :

• climate features (humidity and temperature fluctuations);
• insufficient ventilation of premises in winter;
• lack of vitamins.

The pathology is widespread throughout the world. The highest incidence rates are observed in African countries (40 times more than in Europe).

Meningococcus was first isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with meningitis and subjected to detailed study in 1887 by A. Weikselbaum. RIA News.

Outbreaks of highly contagious disease: statistics from the Russian Federation

The first recorded outbreak occurred in 1930 (50 cases per 100 thousand population). Experts of that time assumed that the high contagiousness characteristic of meningitis was caused by active migration . The outbreak ended only in 1940. The rate was increased again in the 1970s.

ATTENTION : The cause was meningococcus from China, accidentally introduced into the country (a new pathogen, people did not have immunity). In 2014, the incidence rate in the country was 991 cases of severe forms (692 children).

According to statistics, young people aged 17-20 years (1st-2nd year students, army recruits) are more likely to get meningitis. Young children account for 70% of cases of the disease.

Meningitis - symptoms in adults

Meningitis usually has a sudden onset. The first symptoms of meningitis in adults are: fever, headaches, vomiting (the so-called meningeal triad). However, these pathological signs of meningitis also accompany other infectious diseases, so it is important to know the features of the manifestation of meningitis.

Meningitis is characterized by rapid development with pronounced signs of intoxication:

• headache;
• high fever and chills;
• confusion and loss of consciousness;
• convulsions;
• skin rash;
• muscle weakness;
• drowsiness;
• photophobia, increased skin sensitivity, reaction to sound;
• stiff neck;
• loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting;
• conjunctivitis;
• increased heart rate.

In patients with meningitis, the first sign of the disease is often a rash on the skin and mucous membranes. The rash is initially hemorrhagic in nature, sometimes spots and papules appear on the skin. The rash is considered an allergic reaction to medication.

Over the next few hours, hemorrhagic elements of various sizes and shapes appear. They may look like small spots or stars. Elements of the rash may merge and form spots.

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Headache

A severe headache should alert you. Headaches caused by meningitis feel different from other types of pain. Their intensity is much higher than that of headaches associated with dehydration or migraines. Taking over-the-counter pain medications does not provide relief.

Nausea and vomiting

Nausea and vomiting that occur with a headache are not absolute signs of meningitis. These symptoms may accompany other diseases, such as migraine. Close attention should be paid to other conditions that occur along with vomiting and nausea.

Vomiting with meningitis rarely occurs once, most often it is repeated, repeated, and is not associated with food intake.

Heat

An increase in body temperature, like other symptoms, may indicate the development of meningitis. With this disease, the temperature is usually much higher than with acute respiratory infections. In addition, taking antipyretic drugs for meningitis is ineffective - it is very difficult and short-term to reduce the temperature.

Pain in the neck

Quite often, patients with meningitis complain of pain and a feeling of tension in the neck, and it is difficult for them to turn or raise their head. This is due to pressure from the inflamed membranes of the brain. This symptom can also be observed when the neck muscles are strained or injured from a sudden movement of the head.

The suspicion of meningitis can be confirmed by bending the patient's hips in a horizontal position - the occurrence of pain in the neck while performing this movement is a sign of meningitis.

Difficulty concentrating

Inflammation of the meninges during meningitis is associated with perception difficulties in patients. It is difficult for them to read an article to the end, concentrate on a conversation, or complete the task at hand. The degree of confusion may worsen as brain swelling increases. In addition to lethargy and confusion, patients experience a drop in blood pressure, shortness of breath, and noisy shallow breathing.

Lethargy, drowsiness

Patients become unable to act independently, they develop drowsiness and lethargy. This condition occurs as a consequence of general intoxication of the body or cerebral edema. Bacterial meningitis can be accompanied by a sharp depression of consciousness and even coma.

Photophobia

A manifestation of photophobia in patients with meningitis is severe pain that occurs in bright light. The appearance of pain and sensitivity of the eyes, as a reaction to light, is considered an alarming signal, as it is a characteristic sign of meningitis.

Convulsions

Convulsions, sometimes with involuntary urination and disorientation in space, are observed in 20% of patients with meningitis. Their course is similar to epileptic, or the appearance of tremor of individual muscles and individual parts of the body is observed. The occurrence of seizures (generalized and local) is associated with irritation of the cortex and subcortical structures of the brain.

Characteristic rash

A hemorrhagic rash on the skin and mucous membranes is not a specific symptom of meningitis. It appears in 25% of patients with bacterial meningitis and is most often observed in diseases of a meningococcal nature, since it is meningococcus that causes damage to the internal walls of blood vessels. The appearance of skin rashes is usually observed 15-20 hours after the onset of the disease. In this case, the rash is polymorphic - it can be roseolous, papular, in the form of nodules or petechiae. The rashes have an irregular shape and may protrude above the skin level.

Psychomotor agitation, anxiety

Anxiety, agitation and disorientation occur in patients with a form of the disease such as meningoencephalitis at the onset of the disease. With the bacterial form of meningitis, similar symptoms may appear 4-5 days after the onset of the disease. After psychomotor agitation, patients may experience loss of consciousness or coma.

At the beginning of the disease, as well as in later stages, patients with meningitis may develop symptomatic psychosis, manifested by agitation or, conversely, lethargy, delirium, visual and auditory hallucinations.

Delusions and hallucinations can occur in patients with lymphocytic choriomeningitis and meningitis, which is caused by the tick-borne encephalitis virus.

If you have at least one of the above symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor, since it is impossible to check meningitis yourself. To identify this disease and immediate treatment, qualified medical care is required.

The Neurology Clinic of the Yusupov Hospital offers high-quality diagnostics and treatment of meningitis of any form. The hospital's doctors use an individual approach in their work. Treatment tactics, developed individually for each patient, are explained to him in detail during the consultation process and are implemented as accurately as possible during therapeutic measures.

Expert opinion

Tatyana Aleksandrovna Kosova

Head of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, neurologist, reflexologist

Infectious diseases have been among the causes of death among the population for a long time. Meningitis is registered in 30–40% of cases. Unfortunately, despite the quality of the treatment, the possibility of death cannot be ruled out within the first 24 hours after the onset of clinical symptoms of the disease.

Among the etiological factors of meningitis, sinusitis is distinguished. The accumulation of purulent contents in the sinuses without proper treatment can lead to the spread of infection to the meninges. In such cases, meningitis is considered as a complication of sinusitis. The effectiveness of treatment for sinus inflammation depends on the quality of the diagnosis.

The Yusupov Hospital conducts a full range of examinations necessary to detect sinusitis and meningitis. The clinic’s doctors select the correct therapy based on the data obtained and the nature of the pathology. Doctors advise not to delay seeking medical help if symptoms of sinusitis develop and not to self-medicate. Without proper treatment, pus quickly spreads beyond the sinuses and penetrates into the brain area. An examination by a doctor will reduce the risk of a complicated course of the disease.

What is bacterial meningitis

With bacterial meningitis, the purulent nature of the disease quickly develops due to the high colonization of brain areas by bacteria.

Bacterial meningitis occurs when there is a primary or secondary infection of the meninges by pathogenic bacteria. Most often these are meningococci, pneumococci, and hemophilus influenzae. The disease is characterized by high fever, photophobia, blurred vision, hearing, vomiting, and stiff neck. Requires immediate hospitalization and emergency treatment.

Bacteria enter the brain by moving through blood vessels. Next, the infection reaches the meninges, where it provokes an inflammatory process.

The inflammation irritates the choroid plexus, resulting in increased production of cerebrospinal fluid, which fills the cavities of the brain. Intracranial pressure increases, and external symptoms of the disease begin to appear.

If intense headaches persist after meningitis, the most likely cause is hypertensive-hydrocephalic syndrome.
Due to inflammation, adhesions appear in the cerebrospinal fluid tract, and the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid is disrupted. To clarify the diagnosis, an MRI is necessary.

If significant obstructions to the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid are identified, neurosurgery may be required.

Neurologist, reflexologist, hirudotherapist

Kislitsyna Ekaterina Nikolaevna

10 years of experience

Due to increased separation of cerebrospinal fluid, the functioning of the vasomotor and thermoregulatory centers is disrupted. The brain tissue becomes compressed, and oxygen starvation occurs. Blood circulation through the vessels is disrupted. Fluid then accumulates, causing swelling of the brain.

Diagnosis of meningitis

An infectious and inflammatory disease in the soft meninges, accompanied by an acute course, is called meningitis.

Children under three years of age are most susceptible to inflammation and serious complications. The mortality rate if untreated is 93%. With timely help and adequate treatment, recovery occurs in most cases, however, the death rate is about 15%. One third of sick patients are susceptible to complications.

The causative bacteria are most often streptococci of various groups. In infants, these are usually pneumococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella and Listeria.

Sinusitis and meningitis: the relationship of diseases

Meningitis develops as an independent disease and can be a complication of pathological processes. Sinusitis and meningitis are interrelated, since the accumulation of pus in the maxillary sinuses can cause inflammation of the lining of the brain. It is important for people at risk to know how sinusitis turns into meningitis and what symptoms the patient experiences. The development of sinusitis by contact occurs against the background of an existing infectious process. Infection accumulated in the paranasal sinuses can cause inflammation of the meninges.

The development of complications with sinusitis is rare, since modern specialists use effective treatment methods. However, if treatment is untimely and ineffective against the background of reduced immunity, the patient may develop meningitis. If a patient suspects meningitis or their health has sharply worsened, it is necessary to consult a general practitioner or neurologist, who will prescribe an examination and determine the cause of the problem.

At the Yusupov Hospital, patients are provided with a wide range of medical services, which include examinations, therapeutic measures, disease prevention and recovery after illness. If meningitis is suspected, patients are urgently hospitalized.

The most important and revealing test for suspected inflammatory processes in the membranes of the brain and spinal cord is a lumbar puncture. It is necessary to examine the cerebrospinal fluid to identify the cause of inflammation and prescribe adequate therapy.

Complications and consequences of the disease

After the disease, certain pathologies are formed, which are temporary or permanent. The degree of their severity depends on the start of treatment, the drugs used, their effectiveness and the body’s response to the action of antibiotics. In patients after a bacterial disease, they find:

• acute renal failure due to tissue necrosis;
• deafness formed due to swelling of the membranes;
• joint diseases - bone and connective tissue suffers;
• —epilepsy— – most often resolves after physiotherapeutic procedures;
• delayed mental development, memory and speech in children;
• organic psychosyndrome - complete apathy or the opposite state of increased excitability. There are frequent manifestations of aggression or passivity, sudden mood swings.

Bacterial meningitis is a disease that can be cured without serious consequences for the body. The main thing is to notice the symptoms in time, consult a doctor and undergo therapy in a hospital setting, and not rely on the help of symptomatic medications or traditional recipes.

Symptoms in children

Infants become restless and have a high-pitched, unmotivated “brain” cry. There is trembling of the arms and chin, excessive regurgitation, throwing the head back, and hyperesthesia. You can see the bulging of a large fontanel, an increase in head circumference with an expansion of the venous network, and a divergence of the coronary and sagittal sutures. Less commonly, the fontanel sinks - this is a sign of intracranial hypotension (decreased cerebrospinal fluid pressure).

Older children may immediately complain of a severe, bursting headache. Repeated vomiting appears, usually in a fountain, which does not bring relief and is not associated with food intake. General hyperesthesia (muscular, skin, acoustic, optical) is characteristic.

Symptoms and signs of pathology

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Bacterial meningitis usually does not show symptoms right away. The length of the incubation period depends on the age and health of the person, but it is usually fourteen days. After this, the disease begins to show the first signs, which are similar to those of other infectious diseases:

• increase in body temperature;
• severe headache, dizziness, fever;
• inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, nasopharyngitis;
• nausea accompanied by periodic vomiting;
• lack of appetite, diarrhea;
• hyperesthesia and increased muscle tone.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis of meningitis can be made based on the results of additional studies - laboratory and instrumental:

• detailed blood test;
• fundus examination;
• X-ray examination of the skull;
• heart electrocardiograms;
• electroencephalography;
• computer and magnetic resonance imaging.

Doctors at the Yusupov Hospital confirm or refute the diagnosis of meningitis using a study of cerebrospinal fluid. A lumbar puncture is performed immediately after examining the patient. Normal cerebrospinal fluid is transparent, colorless, and flows out under a pressure of 130-180 mm during puncture. water Art. It detects from two to eight cells in one microliter. In serous meningitis, the cerebrospinal fluid is colorless, clear or opalescent. During cerebrospinal puncture, it flows out under a pressure of 200-300 mm. water Art. at a speed of 60-90 drops per minute. In the cerebrospinal fluid, from 200 to 800 cells are determined in 1 μl, 80-100% are lymphocytes. The amount of protein and glucose is increased. After the puncture, the patients' condition improves significantly.

With serous-bacterial meningitis, the cerebrospinal fluid may be colorless or yellow, opalescent. During puncture, it flows out in a stream under a pressure of 250-500 mm of water column. The number of cells increases to 800-1000 in 1 μl, they contain the same number of lymphocytes and neutrophils. Protein levels are increased and glucose concentrations are significantly decreased.

The liquor in purulent-bacterial meningitis is cloudy, whitish or greenish-brown. Due to the high viscosity and blockage of the liquor pathways, it often flows out in rare drops under high pressure. The number of cells in one milliliter of cerebrospinal fluid exceeds 1000; they consist mainly of neutrophils. Protein concentration varies from 600 to 16,000 mg/l, glucose levels are reduced.

To confirm the diagnosis of meningitis, doctors use bacteriological examination of mucus from the nasopharynx and cerebrospinal fluid. During bacterioscopic examination of cerebrospinal fluid, smears are stained with Gram or methylene blue. To exclude fungal meningitis, the specimen containing cerebrospinal fluid is stained with ink. Laboratory assistants isolate a pure culture on media with the addition of normal horse serum or cattle serum and identify it by biochemical activity and antigenic structure.

In case of viral meningitis, in preparations prepared with Gram staining and ink, it is impossible to identify the causative agent of the infection. Cultivation of bacteria and fungi also gives negative results. By culturing cellular material with standard laboratory cell lines, a pathogen serologically identical to the measles virus can be isolated. Rubella virus is isolated using the co-cultivation method.

To identify oligoclonal immunoglobulins, the method of agarose gel electrophoresis or isoelectric focusing of cerebrospinal fluid gamma globulins is used. Immunoglobulins appear in a number of viral infections. As a result of immunological studies, viral antigens or antibodies are detected in the cerebrospinal fluid, and the nucleic acid of the virus is detected using the polymerase chain reaction method. The enzyme immunoassay method detects pathogen antigens in feces, urine or saliva. Express methods allow you to quickly and early determine the presence of the herpes simplex virus antigen in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood or the DNA of the virus (using the polymerase chain reaction method).

Laboratory diagnosis of meningitis using modern research methods can be performed at the Yusupov Hospital. According to indications, doctors determine changes in brain tissue using computer or magnetic resonance imaging. If the first signs of meningitis are present, adequate antibiotic therapy is started immediately after diagnosis.

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Methods of distribution depending on the species

Whether meningitis is contagious or not depends on its form. This also affects the severity of symptoms and the severity of the pathology.

Bacterial

Pathogen bacteria can live in the nasopharynx for up to several years, and begin to cause harm only after entering the blood. Pathogenic organisms are transmitted through liquids (saliva, mucus) . The typical route of transmission is airborne (contagious to humans).

Viral

The causative agent is enterovirus. Infection occurs by airborne droplets or contact. If the infection is on the mucous membrane of the eye, in the mouth, on the skin, then it easily spreads to surrounding objects (by touching them, a person becomes infected). The virus can also enter the body by swimming in polluted waters (rare cases). Other possible routes of transmission:

• transmissible (carried by insects);
• vertical (from mother to child during childbirth).

Parasitic (amoebic)

This is a rare form that most often ends in death. The causative agent is Naegleria fowlera, which lives in water (freshwater lakes, poorly chlorinated pools). The pathogen enters the human body through the nose. It is not transmitted from person to person.

IMPORTANT : At high temperatures, the risk of developing this form of meningitis increases. In hot weather, you should not swim in fresh water.

Fungal

They provoke the onset of candida and coccidia. Anyone can become infected, but people who take hormones or receive chemotherapy, as well as people with HIV, are especially susceptible. The infection from the primary focus, along with the blood flow, enters the brain and inflammation begins. The fungal form is not contagious .

Non-infectious

It is not transmitted from person to person. The disease can develop after removal of brain tumors, treatment of various pathologies of the nervous system. The mechanism of appearance is a response to intervention in the central nervous system. Provoking factors – oncology, trauma, some groups of drugs.

Treatment

At the Yusupov Hospital, patients can receive a full range of medical services for the detection and treatment of meningitis, rehabilitation after illness and prevention. Patients with meningitis can contact the neurologist clinic of the Yusupov Hospital every day for 24 hours to receive emergency care.

The staff of the Yusupov Hospital follows the tradition of attentive and respectful treatment of each patient, therefore they approach the treatment of each case individually. Neurologists inform patients at risk about how to distinguish meningitis from other diseases and prevent its development.

When patients are admitted to the Yusupov Hospital, a comprehensive diagnosis is carried out, including a number of examinations to identify the causes of meningitis, collection of complaints and symptoms. Patients with meningitis need inpatient treatment, so the Yusupov Hospital has created comfortable living conditions and ensures interaction with qualified personnel.

How is meningitis transmitted from person to person?

According to statistics, every 10 people are carriers of meningococcal infection. The pathogen can remain in the body for a long time without causing characteristic symptoms. Only certain forms of the disease can be contracted through direct contact with a person. So, how is meningitis transmitted:

1. Airborne path . It is the most widespread and virulent method of infection. Viruses fly out of the patient's mouth when they cough (sneeze) and enter the air. Then a healthy person takes a breath, and dangerous microorganisms easily penetrate into his respiratory system. The transmission mechanism is possible if the causative agent of the disease is on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. The radius of infection dispersion reaches 4 meters.

2. 
   Oral-fecal . Waste (feces) may also contain the pathogen. Infection occurs when personal hygiene rules are not followed or food is processed poorly. For example, a child did not wash his hands after using the toilet or playing with animals, and then grabbed candy or fruit.

3. Hematogenous . Characteristic of meningitis, which is a complication of other pathological processes in the body. The pathogen from the source of inflammation (abscesses, wounds) enters the bloodstream and reaches the brain - this provokes the onset of inflammation.

What to do if you are showing signs of illness?

ADVICE : When you notice the first symptoms, you need to see a therapist (if the course of the disease is acute, call an ambulance). You can seek help either at a local hospital or at a private clinic.

Treatment is carried out by a therapist (in uncomplicated forms) or an infectious disease specialist. Basic principles of treatment of meningitis in a hospital :

1. prescription of antibacterial agents (antibiotics);
2. relief of inflammation;
3. removal of toxins (detoxification therapy);
4. symptomatic treatment.

Medicines are administered intravenously; in severe forms, directly into the spinal canal. Traditional medicine is powerless in the fight against meningitis - treatment at home can result in death.

Prevention: what to do to avoid getting infected?

Among the specific prevention options is mandatory vaccination .
The developed immunity lasts up to 5 years, then repeated administration of the vaccine is required. A method of prevention for children is to follow the vaccination schedule, since many childhood diseases provoke inflammation of the meninges. The list of general rules of prevention includes drinking only purified water, observing personal hygiene rules, hardening, and taking multivitamin complexes. Refrain from direct contact with sick people. In summer, swim only in those bodies of water that have passed the control of the SES.