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Meningitis: Brain
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Meningitis is a particularly dangerous infection because of the very delicate nature of the brain. Brain cells are some of the only cells in the body that, once killed, will not regenerate themselves. Therefore, if enough brain tissue is damaged by an infection, then serious lifelong handicaps will remain.
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The most common cause of meningitis is blood-borne spread. This term means that a person already has an infection in some other part of his or her body. If that infection is not treated properly, it can become more serious and start to spread through the body by way of the bloodstream. Normally, the blood-brain barrier would keep the infectious agents out of the brain. But if huge numbers of infectious agents accumulate in the blood, some of them may get through the blood-brain barrier. They will then be able to infect the meninges and cause meningitis.
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Meningitis is a potentially life-threatening infection of the meninges—the tough layer of tissue that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. If not treated, meningitis can lead to brain swelling and cause permanent disability, coma, and even death.
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The standard test for diagnosing meningitis is called a lumbar puncture (LP), or spinal tap. An LP involves the insertion of a thin needle into the space between the vertebrae that make up the spine. A small sample of cerebrospinal fluid is removed. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear liquid present in the space between cells in the brain and the spinal cord. It serves a number of important functions. It provides a cushion for the brain and spinal cord, brings nutrients to these structures, and carries away waste products.
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The majority of meningitis infections are acquired by transmission through the blood. A person may have another type of infection (for instance, infection of the lungs, throat, or tissues of the heart) caused by an organism that can ... cause meningitis. If this initial infection is not properly treated, the organism will continue to multiply, find its way into the blood stream, and be delivered in sufficient quantities to invade past the blood-brain barrier. Direct spread occurs when an organism spreads to the meninges from infected tissue next to or very near the meninges. This can occur, for example, with a severe, poorly treated ear or sinus infection.
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Early symptoms of bacterial meningitis include high fever, headache, chills, and stiff neck. The neck is so stiff that the patient cannot lower the chin to the chest. Other symptoms may include nausea and vomiting, confusion, irritability, and a red and purple skin rash. Very young children will be irritable and difficult to feed, extremely sleepy or difficult to wake, will cry inconsolably, and may have seizures. Infants may not have stiff neck. In some cases, especially where treatment is delayed, bacterial meningitis can cause brain damage that results in permanent disabilities and even death.
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