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What is Meningitis?
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Meningitis is an infection of the fluid that surrounds your brain and the membranes that help to regulate this fluid.
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The fluid, called Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), acts like a cushion for your brain against the hard walls of your skull. It surrounds your brain and also runs down your spinal cord. CSF is protected by the meninges, which are membranes that help keep CSF from leaking. Meningitis occurs when the meninges and the CSF become infected or inflamed. Meningitis can be caused by either a bacterial or viral infection. Viral meningitis, while not curable, is much less severe than bacterial meningitis.
Causes of Meningitis:
- Viral
- Viral meningitis, sometimes called aseptic meningitis, is the most common type of meningitis. It is caused by several different types of viruses, many of which are called enteroviruses. Enteroviruses are responsible for giving people stomach flu, and they are also responsible for about 90% of viral meningitis cases. Other viruses that lead to meningitis are often associated with mumps, herpes, and West Nile.
- Bacterial
- Bacterial meningitis is caused by several different types of bacteria. Some of the more common meningitis-causing bacteria are the following:
- Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) commonly causes the disease in young children. This bacterium also causes pneumonia (fluid in the lungs) and ear infections.
- Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) is a highly contagious bacterium. Neisseria meningitidis are the bacteria most associated with meningitis outbreaks on college campuses and military bases.
- Listeria monocytogenes (listeria) is found in dirt and contaminated meat. It is also carried by wild animals. Coming into contact with Listeria monocytogenes does not necessarily mean that a person will develop meningitis, but pregnant women, newborns, and older adults are very susceptible to this kind of meningitis (meaning they are easily infected by it).
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Young children, young adults, and elderly adults develop meningitis more often than the rest of the population.
While there have been meningitis outbreaks that affect a large group of people, the disease, when properly diagnosed and treated, is often not highly contagious.
Though it is rare, meningitis can also be caused by a fungal infection. This type of meningitis usually strikes those with repressed immune systems, such as AIDS patients. Chronic meningitis is caused by the slow development of growths in and around the CNS and the meninges.
Before the 1990s, the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) was the most prevalent cause of bacterial meningitis. However, recent vaccines, given to children, have helped to greatly reduce Hib meningitis.
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