The inflammation of membranes found outside of the brain and spinal cord is commonly referred to as meningitis. The condition can be caused by viruses and bacteria. While viral meningitis is the most common among the types of meningitis, bacterial meningitis is rare and severe. If left untreated, bacterial meningitis can lead to stroke, seizures, paralysis, and can even lead to fatality.
What are the symptoms of bacterial meningitis?
The most common symptoms of bacterial meningitis include:
- High fever
- Severe headache
- Stiff neck
Some patients can also experience nausea, vomiting, confusion, bright light sensitivity, or a purple-colored rash. Parents of babies aged below two years should look out for symptoms like irritability and loss of appetite in their children. These are some of the symptoms that are commonly found in toddlers.
While in some cases, the symptoms of meningitis can start showing in just a couple of hours; in others the symptoms can progress over a couple of years. Immediate medical attention is required if any of the symptoms of bacterial meningitis start showing up. The doctor will devise a treatment plan which will mostly consist of antibiotics.
What are the causes of bacterial meningitis?
Several bacteria can cause bacterial meningitis. These most common ones are:
- Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus
- coli
- Listeria monocytogenes
- Haemophilus influenzae also known as Hib
- Neisseria meningitidis also known as meningococcus
- group B strep
Bacteria that can lead to meningitis can survive in your body and in an environment where you live and, in most cases, they are harmless. The condition occurs when the bacteria enter the bloodstream and get transported to the brain and the spinal cord and infect the fluid present there.
Among the various types of meningitis, bacterial meningitis is one of the more contagious type and can spread by coming in contact with an infected person and by:
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Exchange of saliva
Throat secretions such as phlegm and saliva of a bacterial meningitis patient contain bacteria. Therefore, when an infected person coughs or sneezes, the bacteria travel through the air. Interestingly, the bacteria that cause meningitis spread lesser than cold- and flu-causing viruses.
Some of the bacteria that causes meningitis can also be contracted through the food we eat. These foods contain Listeria bacterium and include:
- Hot dogs
- Soft cheese
- Sandwich meats
This bacterium usually affects expecting mothers, babies, and elderly people.
Certain conditions put you at a higher risk of getting infected by bacteria that causes meningitis. These bacteria are more likely to attack the membrane of your brain after a trauma such as surgery, sinus infection, or a fracture in the head. These are some of the conditions that weaken your immune system and make your body more susceptible to the attack of a meningitis-causing bacterium. It is difficult to pick one particular cause of bacterial meningitis as various factors can lead to the condition.
