meningitis

Inflammatory diseases of the meninges. There are several types of meningitis: viral, suppurative, toxic. Viral infection of the meninges is possible with measles, influenza, mumps and other viral infectious diseases. Purulent meningitis is primary, then the shell affects the specific microbe - meningococcus, or secondary, then the infection enters the meninges of the foci of infection in the body or injury to the skull (see brain abscess.). The inflammation can also develop in lesions shells toxic substances (acetone, dichloroethane and other industrial poisons). The most common mepingokokkovy and secondary purulent meningitis, the third flu-like meningitis.
The leading symptom is headache, which is celebrated in the whole head. It is enhanced with increasing temperature: the patient wants to sleep, but can not, periodic headache becomes unbearable until (especially in children) "brain cry", which can occur after persistent loss of consciousness. vomiting often develops, which brings relief in the first few minutes, and then repeated many times, and does not bring relief. the patient's head at this time can not be brought in front, so your chin touches your chest. Often throws back his head backwards, arms and legs pulled up to his stomach (running posture setter dog). If a child is raised in the air under the arms, the legs and the hands of his nestle to the body. When you try to lift his leg up, there is strong resistance to the muscles, and the sick groan. The temperature is always increased.
If you suspect meningitis, the patient should be hospitalized. The department usually offer to hold a spinal tap for accurate diagnosis. The relatives and the patient himself, if still conscious, sometimes refuse to lumbar puncture than very difficult to diagnose and treat. Lumbar puncture, in which make the skin puncture and fall into okolomozgovye space, absolutely no damage to the spinal cord and in the study did not take the spinal cord and the fluid that is produced in humans of up to 3 liters per day. This puncture is called therapeutic and diagnostic: pozvolyaettochno establish the nature of meningitis and after removal of 5-6 milliliters of fluid a patient feels improvement (decrease in headache and nausea, as the intracranial pressure decreases). Depending on the nature of meningitis conducted complex treatment with antibiotics, hormones and other means. Weather is always serious.