Meningitis is an inflammation of the leptomeninges and underlying subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Meningitis is the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the central nervous system, known collectively as the meninges.

Meningitis is a rare disease, our brains have what is called a blood brain barrier that protects are brain for contamination by the blood. However, some infections can trick the barrier, which then decreases its ability to work properly.

Meningitis can be very serious; as a matter of fact certain types of bacterial meningitis can be rapidly fatal without early treatment. It is one of the conditions considered to be a medical emergency that is related to infectious diseases.

Types of meningitis:

Acute
Chronic
Recurrent
Post-traumatic

Although no case of meningitis or encephalitis is trivial, depending on the particulars, some cases end up as temporary illnesses from which there is full recovery, while others can be severely damaging or even lethal.

The following disabilities can result from meningitis:

hearing loss
blindness
loss of bladder or bowel function
loss of motor function of lower limbs
seizures
neuromotor disability
epilepsy
learning difficulty

Meningitis that is caused by bacteria, while infectious is not so easy to transmit. What makes bacterial meningitis contagious, then? Intimate contact, such as kissing, is necessary in order to spread this disease.

The symptoms and signs of meningitis:

Severe headache
Eye pain and sensitivity caused by lights
Neck stiffness
Confusion and or drowsiness
Vomiting
Raised temperature

Fortunately, this form of meningitis is contracted solely through nasal or throat discharges and is therefore not highly contagious. It is not considered an airborne disease, though it can be through coughing and sneezing, but is not contracted solely through being around someone who is infected.

Meningitis also often leads to irritability. In more severe cases the patient may even reach to the point of seizure. Small children, with an undeveloped mind in a state such as this, are some times found to be delirious.

Sometimes the bacteria and viruses that infect the skin, urinary system, gastrointestinal or respiratory tract can spread by the bloodstream to the meningitis through cerebrospinal fluid, the fluid that circulates in and around the spinal cord.

Bacteria which cause bacterial meningitis are generally harmless and found naturally on the human body, in the nose and throat regions mostly in adolescents and adults. It can pass on from one individual to another only through coughing, sneezing, kissing and prolonged contact.

When the disease is viral meningitis, rash may appear over just the extremities or over the entire body. It will be flat and red in appearance. With certain types of bacterial meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis is the worst type because it can kill you. It often begins as an upper respiratory tract infection. From there it travels through your blood vessels to your brain. Then it can block up your blood vessels inside your brain triggering a stroke and brain damage.

In cases of suspected meningitis, treatment will usually begin before the diagnosis has been confirmed. This is because some of the tests can take several hours to complete and it could be dangerous to delay treatment for that amount of time as it is a life-threatening condition.

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