BRAIN INFECTION AND INJURY Flashcards
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS - DEFINITION
- Acute bacterial meningitis is the most common form of meningitis
- It can be life threatening
- The infection can cause the tissues around the brain to swell
- This in turn interferes with blood flow and can result in paralysis or even stroke
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS - CAUSE
- The bacteria most often responsible for bacterial meningitis are common in the environment and can also be found in the nose and respiratory system without causing any harm
- Sometimes meningitis occurs for no reason
- Other times it occurs after a head injury or after you have had an infection and your immune system is weakened
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS - POPULATION AFFECTED
Children between 1 month and 2 years are most susceptible
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS - RISK FACTORS IN ADULTS
- Alcohol abuse
- Have chronic nose or ear infections
- Sustain a head injury
- Get pneumococcal pneumonia
- Weakened immune system
- Have your spleen removed
- Are on corticosteroids because of kidney failure
- Have sickle cell disease
- Brain or spinal surgery
- Have a widespread blood infection
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS - CLINICAL PRESENTATION
- High fever
- Headaches
- An inability to lower the chin to the chest due to stiffness in the neck
- In older children and adults
o Confusion
o Irritability
o Increasing drowsiness
o Seizures and stroke may occur - In young children
o Fever may cause vomiting
o Refusal to eat
o Very irritable and crying
o May be seizures
o Swelling of the head (less common) - Onset of symptoms is fast, within 24 hours
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS - DIAGNOSIS
- Physical exam
o Look for a purple or red non-blanching rash
o Check neck stiffness
o Exam hip and knee flexion - Spinal tap to decide what the cause of the meningitis is
- Blood and urine analysis
- Mucous from nose and throat may be analysed
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS - TREATMENT
- Antibiotics
- Intravenous antibiotic with a corticosteroid to bring the inflammation down may be prescribed even before the test results are in
- Replenish fluids lost from loss of appetite, sweating, vomiting and diarrhoea
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS - PREVENTION
- Seek preventative treatment if you have had close contact with someone with bacterial meningitis
- Vaccinations
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS - PROGNOSIS
- 10% death rate from bacterial meningitis
- Most people recover if diagnosed and treated early
- There may be permeant damage if treatment is not started immediately
- Seizures, mental impairment and paralysis may be life-long
VIRAL MENINGITIS - DEFINITION
- Infection and inflammation of the fluid membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord
- These membranes are called meninges
VIRAL MENINGITIS - CAUSE
- Common cause of meningitis
- Usually mild and often clears on its own
- Most cases are due to a group of viruses called enteroviruses
- Most common in late summer and early fall
VIRAL MENINGITIS - POPULATION AFFECTED
Children under 5
VIRAL MENINGITIS - RISK FACTORS
- Skipping vaccinations
- Age
o Most cases of viral meningitis occur in children under 5 - Living in a community setting
o College students living in dorms
o Personnel on military bases
o Children in boarding school or care facilities - Pregnancy
o Increases the risk of an infection caused by listeria bacteria
o Increased the risk of miscarriage, still birth and premature delivery - Weakened immune system
o AIDS
o Alcohol use disorder
o Diabetes
o Use of immunosuppressant drugs
o Having spleen removed
VIRAL MENINGITIS - CLINICAL PRESENTATION - OVER 2
o Sudden high fever
o Stiff neck
o Severe headache
o Nausea or vomiting
o Confusion
o Trouble concentrating
o Seizures
o Sleepiness or trouble waking
o Sensitivity to light
o No appetite or thirst
o Skin rash in some cases, such as in meningococcal meningitis
VIRAL MENINGITIS - CLINICAL PRESENTATION - NEW-BORNS
o Nigh fever
o Constant crying
o Being very sleepy or irritable
o Trouble waking from sleep
o Being inactive or sluggish
o Not waking to eat
o Poor feeding
o Vomiting
o A bulge in the soft spot on top of the baby’s head
o Stiffness in the body and neck
