LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Meningitis: Patients
built 633 days ago
Symptoms classically associated with bacterial meningitis include fever, headache, and stiff neck. In more than 75 percent of cases, changes in mental status occur, ranging from lethargy to coma, although some patients may become agitated and even combative. Nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light are ... common symptoms. Seizures occur in up to 40 percent of patients.
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The first clues that a person may have meningitis can be obtained from a simple physical examination. The doctor may try to move the patient's head in various directions. For a person with meningitis, these movements can be difficult and painful.
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Fungal meningitis has been on the rise in the United States due to opportunistic infection with Cryptococcus neoformans in people weakened by AIDS. In these patients, it is often fatal. It can be treated with the antifungals amphotericin B and fluconazole. Other causes include coccidioidomycosis and histoplasmosis.
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Fungal meningitis develops in patients with conditions that compromise the effectiveness of their immune systems (e.g., HIV/AIDS, lupus, diabetes). Fungal meningitis occurs in 10% of patients with AIDS. Crytococcus neoformans and Candida albicans are commonly involved in fungal meningitis.
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Patients with very mild viral meningitis may only have to spend a few hours in a hospital, while those who have a more serious infection may be hospitalized for many more days for supportive care. Patients with mild cases, which often cause only flu-like symptoms, may be treated with fluids, bed rest (preferably in a quiet, dark room), and analgesics for pain and fever.
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No specific treatment for viral meningitis exists at this time. Most patients completely recover on their own. Doctors often will recommend bed rest, plenty of fluids, and medicine to relieve fever and headache.
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