Meningitis Health Article

Expected results

Viral meningitis is the least severe type of meningitis, and patients usually recover with no long-term effects from the infection. Bacterial infections, however, are much more severe, and progress rapidly. Without very rapid treatment with the appropriate antibiotic, the infection can swiftly lead to coma and death in less than a day's time. While death rates from meningitis vary depending on the specific infecting organism, the overall death rate is just under 20%.

The most frequent long-term effects of meningitis include deafness and blindness, which may be caused by the compression of specific nerves and brain areas responsible for the senses of hearing and sight. Some patients develop permanent seizure disorders, requiring lifelong treatment with antiseizure medications. Scarring of the meninges may result in obstruction of the normal flow of CSF, causing abnormal accumulation of CSF. This may be a chronic problem for some patients, requiring the installation of shunt tubes to drain the accumulation regularly.

Some cases of sudden and unexplained death in adults have been attributed to rapidly developing meningitis.

Prevention

Prevention of meningitis primarily involves the appropriate treatment of other infections an individual may acquire, particularly those that have a track record of seeding to the meninges (such as ear and sinus infections). Preventive treatment with antibiotics is sometimes recommended for the close contacts of an individual who is ill with meningococcal or H. influenzae type b meningitis. A meningococcal vaccine exists, and is sometimes recommended to individuals who are traveling to very high risk areas. A vaccine for H. influenzae type b is now given to babies as part of the standard array of childhood immunizations.

BOOKS

"Meningitis." The Medical Advisor: The Complete guide to Alternative & Conventional Treatments. Home Edition. Richmond, VA: Time Life Inc., 1997.

Ray, C. George. "Central Nervous System Infections." In Sherris Medical Microbiology: An Introduction to Infectious Diseases, edited by Kenneth J. Ryan. Norwalk, CT: Appleton and Lange, 1994.

Swartz, Morton N. "Bacterial Meningitis." In Cecil Textbook of Medicine, edited by J. Claude Bennett and Fred Plum. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1996.

PERIODICALS

Aronin, S. I. "Current Pharmacotherapy of Pneumococcal Meningitis." Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy 3 (February 2002): 121–129.

Black, M., and D. I Graham. "Sudden Unexplained Death in Adults Caused by Intracranial Pathology." Journal of Clinical Pathology 55 (January 2002): 44–50.

Green, B. T., K. M. Ramsey, and P. E. Nolan. "Pasteurella multocida Meningitis: Case Report and Review of the Last 11 Years." Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Disease 34 (2002): 213–217.

Meissner, Judith W. "Caring for Patients With Meningitis." Nursing (July 1995): 50+.

Schuchat, Anne, et al. "Bacterial Meningitis in the United States in 1995." New England Journal of Medicine (October 2, 1997).

Tasyaran, M. A., O. Deniz, M. Ertek, and K. Cetin. "Anthrax Meningitis: Case Report and Review." Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases 34 (2002): 66–67.

Tunkel, A. R., and W. M. Scheld. "Treatment of Bacterial Meningitis." Current Infectious Disease Reports 4 (February 2002): 7–16.

Vilarrasa, N., A. Prats, M. Pujol, et al. "Streptococcus bovis Meningitis in a Healthy Adult Patient." Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases 34 (2002): 61–62.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Academy of Neurology. 1080 Montreal Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55116. (612) 695-1940. <http://www.aan.com>.

Meningitis Foundation of America. 7155 Shadeland Station, Suite 190, Indianapolis, IN 46256-3922. (800) 668-1129. <http://www.musa.org/welcome.htm>.

Mai Tran

Rebecca J. Frey, PhD