Meningitis Essay

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Recommended: Pathophysiology of meningitis

Bacterial meningitis is an infection or inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and the spinal cord, usually in the subarachnoid space, and is caused by bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, or Haemophilus influenzae (Mosby’s Dictionary, 2013).
Once infected, symptoms appear very quickly. The client may state that they are experiencing a fever that came on quickly, throbbing or steady headache, and a stiff neck. A patient complaining of a stiff neck is an important symptom to be aware of in possible meningitis infection. Flexing the head will be difficult and cause pain because of spasms in the neck muscles. A good objective indicator of meningitis infection is checking for a positive Brudzinski’s sign. A positive Brudzinski’s sign is observed when the patient flexes his or her neck and the flexion of the knees and hips is produced or when one lower extremity is passively flexed, the other lower extremity will move similarly. The client may also be experiencing nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and confusion. To determine if a patien...

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