Fever, headache, vomiting … These symptoms can evoke many common illnesses. But this is also how meningitis can start. The signs which should prompt to consult a doctor quickly.
All the meningitis are not serious, far from it. In 70% of cases, it is mostly benign viral meningitis. Infection of the meninges, the envelope that protects the brain, then complicating for some time a banal infectious disease such as mumps. Worrisome at the time, but everything usually ends well without special treatment. Quite different is the situation with meningitis caused by bacteria. The urgent need is to prevent infection of the blood (sepsis) and vital organs by administering antibiotics. As long as you recognize the disease in time. At first, the diagnosis is difficult because the symptoms are not very specific. They often evoke a flu. It is their severity or their association that should be of concern.
A sudden onset, a high fever (over 39 ° C), very badly supported by the patient, must quickly attract attention: the patient is depressed, he has a gray complexion, complains of stiffness, chills. The headache, violent, are not calmed by taking paracetamol. They may be accompanied by stiff neck and abnormal sensitivity to bright light. Particularly severe stomach aches, with nausea and “jet” vomiting, are also suggestive.
The appearance of red or purplish dots anywhere on the body is a life-threatening emergency. These small spots, characteristic of what is called a purpura, correspond to microhemorrhages of the skin and reflect an acute infection of the blood. The attending physician should be called or, if he is not available, contact the Samu or take the patient to the emergency room.
Only a lumbar puncture can confirm the diagnosis and find out the responsible germ. Performed systematically in case of suspicion of this disease, it consists in taking a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (located in the meninges). If this liquid is clear, do not worry, it is in favor of viral meningitis. If it is cloudy, antibiotic therapy is started without waiting for the identification of the bacteria and its sensitivity to antibiotics. These results will however make it possible to ensure that the treatment started is effective on the found germ.
A case in high school, a friend with meningitis met at a party? You have to see a doctor. People who may have been in contact receive antibiotic treatment as a preventive measure for two days. If there is a vaccine, it is given in addition to the antibiotic treatment.
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Several vaccines are available against meningococci
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