Characteristic symptoms of meningitis in adults

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes of the brain (head and spinal), developed under the influence of bacteria or viruses. It is believed that this is a childhood illness. Since a powerful blood-brain barrier is created with age, it is very difficult to overcome infectious agents, the symptoms of meningitis in adults are very rare. But the ailment still can develop as a consequence of another infectious disease.

Symptoms of meningitis in adults

The disease usually begins swiftly. First, there are pain in the muscles, general weakness, fever. In the case of excitation of meningitis with pneumococcus, the patient has a runny nose, meningococcal - a rash. Paramixovirus affects the salivary glands, and enterovirus - the intestine. Characteristic symptoms of meningitis in adults are a dispersed growing headache and increased sensitivity of the skin. Later, nausea and vomiting appear. Pain in the head becomes so intense that sometimes a person can not tolerate it. It is further intensified by the action of sound and visual stimuli when the patient attempts to change the position of the body.

Symptoms of meningitis in adults progress extremely quickly, in just one day the condition can become extremely difficult. The patient is clouded and confused consciousness, over time it goes into a stupor and even to whom. A high fever is maintained, accompanied by increased sweating and chills. Meningitis is very dangerous! The consequences in adults of such a disease can be tragic - it is possible to develop edema of the brain tissue, which blocks blood flow and causes symptoms similar to stroke. It is possible and fatal outcome. An infectious person, when examined, will necessarily pay attention to the fact that the patient is unable to move his neck and tilt his head forward - these signs indicate the presence of inflammation in the meninges.

Meningococcal meningitis

Most often, the infection is transmitted through saliva during sneezing or coughing of an infected person. A characteristic symptom of this type of disease, as already mentioned, is a rash of hemorrhagic nature, manifested in the form of dense stars of different sizes. If complications develop, epileptic seizures may occur.

Pneumococcal meningitis

It occurs in most cases against the background of complications of mastoiditis, pneumonia, otitis. On the oral mucosa a few days after infection, a herpetic rash appears, in some cases it can be observed on the arms and trunk. Without adequate treatment, the patient can die on the fifth day from the beginning of the pathological process.

Purulent meningitis

It is often provoked by a hemophilic rod, can develop as a result of acute sinusitis, otitis, a fracture of the skull bones. It can be accompanied by arterial thrombosis, increased intracranial pressure, and epileptic seizures. Neurological and intellectual disorders may remain for a person who has been ill with him.

Enterovirus meningitis

This type of disease is diagnosed most often, the virus penetrates the body through the digestive tract. Symptoms usually begin to manifest on the second day of the disease. There is a headache, but it is not as intense as, for example, with purulent meningitis.

Treatment

Measures should be taken urgently. An ambulance doctor, who came to the call, is obliged to immediately inject a person with an antibiotic from a group of penicillins, macrolides or cephalosporins, and then take him to the hospital, to the infectious department. In the hospital, to normalize the patient's condition, they will also inject antibiotics every four hours. After stabilizing the condition, the course of medication administration is continued in accordance with the doctor's instructions.

Prevention of meningitis in adults

Vaccination can reduce the likelihood of this severe disease. Do not drink raw tap water, temper, use vitamins, walk more in the fresh air, play sports.