Symptoms and Diagnosis of Meningitis and Encephalitis

1547 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Meningitis Conclution

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Meningitis and Encephalitis

Abstract- Meningitis and Encephalitis symptoms are almost identical to those of the flu or common cold. Most symptoms are exceedingly subtle, and immediate diagnosis is crucial, because meningitis and encephalitis can become deadly in a matter of hours. There are many different forms of diagnosis, each equally important. Differentiating between bacterial and viral forms of the disease is important because treatment and severity differs. Meningitis is more prevalent in the elderly, the very young, and those with immune deficiency diseases.

After his first trip to Africa, Brad Pitt came down with a mild case of viral meningitis. Luckily, Brad was diagnosed and treated in time by the finest doctors in Los Angeles. However, the meningitis could have turned deadly had the star not sought immediate medical attention. Meningitis can turn deadly in a matter of hours, but so few people recognize the symptoms. Mostly meningitis symptoms are comparable tom the common cold. There are signs, though, and accurate diagnosis procedures to ensure full and healthy lives for everyone.

Meningitis is a potentially deadly disease with generally common symptoms. It can be either a viral or bacterial infection of a person?s spinal fluid. It also affects the fluid surrounding the brain. Meningitis usually started with either a viral or bacterial infection generally of the respiratory tract. Meningitis is much more common in the very young, very old, and people with immune systems that have been affected by an STD, such as HIV/AIDS. Symptoms in babies are often extremely difficult to detect as they cannot voice their grievances

Meningitis symptoms in infants are almost impossible to visibly sepa...

... middle of paper ...

...Control And Prevention. 12 Oct. 2005. 31 July 2006

http:///www.cdc.gov/ncidod/DBMD/diseaseinfo/meningococcal_g.htm.

"Infections Meningitis." Kids Health For Parents. Ed. Elena Pearl Ben- Joseph, MD and Neil Izenberg, MD. Mar. 2004. Nemours Foundation. 31 July 2006 http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/meningitis.html

"Meningitis." Wikipedia. 31 July 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Meningitis. Meningitis. Ed. Mary L. Gavin, MD and Joel Klein, MD. Nov.

2004. Kids Health. 1 Aug. 2006 meningitis.html>. Encephalitis. Ed. Barbara P Homeier, MD and Joel Klein, MD. Jan. 2005. Kids

Health. 1 Aug. 2006 bacterial_viral/encephalitis.html>. "Encephalitis." Wikipedia. 30 July 2006. 1 Aug. 2006
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encephalitis>.

Show More
Related

  • Marilyn Monroe Conspiracy Theory

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    Medical Negligence is sometimes the reason why famous actors and actresses die or have lasting detrimental side effects. It has been happening for years, but is not always common knowledge. It may have happened to Marilyn Monroe.

    Read More

  • Antibiotic Resistance Case Study

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    Smith brings his 4-year-old to your office with chief complaints of right ear pain, sneezing, mild cough, and low-grade fever of 100 degrees for the last 72 hours. Today, the child is alert, cooperative, and well hydrated. You note a mildly erythemic throat with no exudate, both ears mild pink tympanic membrane with good movement, lungs clear. You diagnose an acute upper respiratory infection, probably viral in nature. Mr. Smith is states that the family is planning a trip out of town starting tomorrow and would like an antibiotic just in case.

    Read More

  • Cause And Effect Essay On Concussions

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, head injuries are serious business and should always be treated as if it could be fatal. New information and products are being made to help curb the increasing amount of concussions. Even though the number of concussions have increased over the years, there have been steps that are being made to cut down on the number of injuries. Concussions can be potentially be fatal and can have many side effects, both now and later in life. Such side effects can include headaches, inattention, loss of short-term and long-term memory, loss of motor skills, and even disturbances in sleep. It cannot be stressed enough to not shrug off any type of injuries, especially a concussion.

    Read More

  • Long Term Acute Care Hospital

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Clinical Infectious Diseases, 49(3), 438-443. Doi:10.1086/600391. See full address and map. Medicare.gov/Hospital Compare - The Official U.S. Government Site for Medicare (n.d).

    Read More

  • Alzheimer Case Study

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    develops when clumps of abnormal proteins grow in the brain. It grows and grows but at a slow pace , overtime they add up until the brain cells becomes damaged and die. If you are concerned that you or any family member might have some of the symptoms you should talk to your family doctor. The symptoms that you should pay attention to should be:

    Read More

  • Mumps Virus

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mumps is primarily a childhood disease, occurring most frequently between the ages of 5 to 9, although it was also known as a problem for soldiers during war because of the sanitary conditions and close proximity. For instance, in World War I only influenza and gonorrhea were more prevalent among the armies. It replicates inside the nose, throat, and regional lymph nodes. The virus incubates for about 14-18 days, and then a viremia occurs for about 3-5 days. During the viremia it can spread to the meninges, salivary glands, testes, ovaries and pancreas. Out of the infected population, 30 to 40% get swollen parotid salivary glands, with most of the rest being asymptomatic or having only respiratory problems. Around 60% of patients have asymptomatic meningitis, with up to 15% progressing to symptomatic. Encephalitis is also possible, occurring in around 5/100,000 cases. The encephalitis almost always results in some permanent hearing loss, and was historically the leading cause of hearing loss in children. Orchitis (testicular swelling) happens in up to 50% of post-pubertal males, with oophritis (ovarian swelling) happening in only 5% of women. Orchitis often results in testicular atrophy but very rarely in sterility.

    Read More

  • Treating and Preventing Meningitis and Encephalitis

    1541 Words  | 4 Pages

    Due to its tendency to be both a viral and bacterial disease, meningitis can prove difficult to treat. Its dual tendencies also mean that various methods are used to attack the disease. In order to treat meningitis, different aspects of the disease must be discovered first. The type of organism causing the infection, the age of the patient, and the extent of the infection must all be taken into account (WebMD, sec. 8). Any time meningitis is found, immediate treatment with antibiotics is required, and continuation of antibiotic treatment depends on whether a bacteria or a virus is causing th...

    Read More

  • Case Study on a Three Year Old With Bronchiolitis

    1885 Words  | 4 Pages

    Liam is a previously healthy boy who has experienced rhinorrhoea, intermittent cough, and poor feeding for the past four days. His positive result of nasopharyngeal aspirate for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) indicates that Liam has acute bronchiolitis which is a viral infection (Glasper & Richardson, 2010). “Bronchiolitis is the commonest reason for admission to hospital in the first 6 months of life. It describes a clinical syndrome of cough tachypnoea, feeding difficulties and inspiratory crackles on chest auscultation” (Fitzgerald, 2011, p.160). Bronchiolitis can cause respiratory distress and desaturation (91% in the room air) to Liam due to airway blockage; therefore the infant appears to have nasal flaring, intercostal and subcostal retractions, and tachypnoea (54 breathes/min) during breathing (Glasper & Richardson, 2010). Tachycardia (152 beats/min) could occur due to hypoxemia and compensatory mechanism for low blood pressure (74/46mmHg) (Fitzgerald, 2011; Glasper & Richardson, 2010). Moreover, Liam has fever and conjunctiva injection which could be a result of infection, as evidenced by high temperature (38.6°C) and bilateral tympanic membra...

    Read More

  • Essay On Meningitis

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    Meningitis, it’s an infection in the cerebral spinal fluid and inflammation of the meninges; the three outer layers of the brain. To be more specific, those three layers are called the Dura mater, Arachnoid mater, and the Pia mater. There are three main types of meningitis that will be discussed throughout this paper; viral, bacterial, and fungal. Each form is very similar but they all vary in terms of causative organisms, treatment and severity. Although meningitis is not very common, it can become very severe and always needs to be treated immediately.

    Read More

  • Meningitis

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, which are membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis can be caused by infections from viruses, bacterium, or other microorganisms. Due to the inflammation being in close proximity to the brain and spinal cord, meningitis can be life threatening and is classified as a medical emergency.

    Read More

  • The Hot Zone Sparknotes

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    After the death of Charles Monet, the stage is set for much more to come. At the time, Monet’s death was considered unknown, because the Ebola virus was not known about at the time. Medication and antibiotics have no effect on someone with the virus, so obviously it’s pretty serious. Ebola is probably one of the most disgusting things anyone could ever imagine. What is basically does is turn your internal organs into liquid that then pours out of every single hole in your body, even the pores in your skin. Another effect of this virus is coughing up your own blood. This happens because the blood clots in your arteries and veins, which forces it to come out of your mouth and other areas. Eventually your skin will just explode from the pressure of all the blood built up in-between your skin and flesh. This virus can be very deceiving because it has the regular symptoms of diseases like malaria and typhoid fever, but it can kill you within a matter of 10 days.

    Read More

  • Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    Friedman JF, Lee GM, Kleinman KP, Finkelstein JA. "Acute Care and Antibiotic Seeking for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections for Children in Day Care: Parental Knowledge and Day Care Center Policies." JAMA Pediatrics 157.4 (2003): 369-374. .

    Read More

  • Hearing Loss

    1717 Words  | 4 Pages

    Serious forms of meningitis, mumps, and chicken pox can also cause deafness especially at an early age. One disease that affects the in...

    Read More

  • Neurological Assessment

    1456 Words  | 3 Pages

    Paramedics are frequently presented with neurological emergencies in the pre-hospital environment. Neurological emergencies include conditions such as, strokes, head or spinal injuries. To ensure the effective management of neurological emergencies an appropriate and timely neurological assessment is essential. Several factors are associated with the effectiveness and appropriateness of neurological assessments within the pre-hospital setting. Some examples include, variable clinical presentations, difficulty undertaking investigations, and the requirement for rapid management and transportation decisions (Lima & Maranhão-Filho, 2012; Middleton et al., 2012; Minardi & Crocco, 2009; Stocchetti et al., 2004; Yanagawa & Miyawaki, 2012). Through a review of current literature, the applicability and transferability of a neurological assessment within the pre-hospital clinical environment is critiqued. Blumenfeld (2010) describes the neurological assessment as an important analytical tool that evaluates the functionality of an individual’s nervous system. Blumenfeld (2010) dissected and evaluated the neurological assessment into six functional components, mental status, cranial nerves, motor exam, reflexes, co-ordination and gait, and a sensory examination.

    Read More

  • Teratogens and Their Effects on Fetus Development

    1998 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ford-Jones, E. L., & Kellner, J. D. (1995). " CHEAP TORCHES": An acronym for congenital and perinatal infections. The Pediatric infectious disease journal, 14(7), 638-639.

    Read More

More about Symptoms and Diagnosis of Meningitis and Encephalitis

Open Document