Meningitis can progress pretty fast and in as little as 1 to 12 days and is fatal if not treated.
Doctors test for meningitis through a spinal tap which is used to collect cerebrospinal fluid.
The cerebrospinal fluid usually slows a low sugar level with an increased white blood cell count and increased protein when you have meningitis.
Meningitis is contagious from the time the symptoms have started and for around 7 to 10 days.
You can prevent meningitis by getting a meningitis vaccine called the meningococcal vaccine and maintaining healthy habits such as getting plenty of rest, eating healthy and avoiding close contact with sick people.
Rest, fluids and over the pain medicine can help to treat some cases of meningitis at home.
In more severe cases of meningitis hospital treatment is usually required.
Bacteria meningitis is more serious and requires medical treatment or it can be deadly.
When meningitis starts it will usually show up as a blanching rash.
The start of meningitis looks like a blanching rash and nearly always develops in a non blanching red, purple or brownish petechial rash or purpia which means the rash will not disappear when pressed.
The 5 symptoms of meningitis are sudden high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion and trouble concentrating and seizures.
Bacterial meningitis can be deadly within a few hours without treatment while viral meningitis is not as serious.
Meningitis causes death through brain injuries, intractable seizures, circulatory failure and brain herniation.
The part of the neck that hurts with meningitis is the back of your neck and behind the skull which can usually feel.
The neck pain associated with meningitis can also be accompanied by the feeling of soreness and tenderness in the affected area and there may also be throbbing or a persistent headache.
A meningitis rash can first appear on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet although the meningitis rash can appear on any part of the body.
The meningitis rash at first can be subtle and then spread to larger areas of the skin.
The 3 types of meningitis are bacterial meningitis, viral meningitis and fungal and chemical meningitis.
The fungal and chemical meningitis are more rare types of meningitis while viral and bacterial meningitis are more common.
The antibiotics that treat meningitis are cefottaxime and ceftriaxone which are beta lactams of choice in the empiric treatment of people with meningitis.
Meningitis does not stay in your body forever once you get treatment.
However in some cases meningitis can lead to brain damage, hearing loss and seizures for the rest of a persons life.
Meningitis is not easy to catch and the chances of getting meningitis from someone is rare as meningitis does not survive for too long outside the body.
Still you should wash your hands often and when you're around someone with meningitis.
The chances of catching meningitis are very low and meningitis cannot survive very long out of the body.
Although meningitis is infections around 97 out of 100 cases of meningitis cases are isolated with no link to other cases.
People who are at risk for meningitis are children and children younger than 1 year old.
Teens and young adults from 16 to 23 years old are also more at risk for developing meningitis although anyone can get it.
Meningitis can start in adults through viruses and bacteria being caught from someone else who has the bacteria or virus.
The bacteria and viruses that causes meningitis can be caught through your nose or throat.
Your lower back can hurt with meningitis and the back pain that is caused by meningitis can be made worse by bending your legs close to your chest in a fetal position.
A sore throat is sometimes a symptom of meningitis as well as rash and intestinal symptoms.
Other symptoms of meningitis besides a sore throat are fatigue, stiff neck, headache and fever.
The side effects after having meningitis are hearing loss which can be partial or total hearing loss.
Other side effects after having meningitis are recurrent seizures, problems with memory and concentration, movement and balance problems and coordination problems.
The most serious complication of meningitis is brain damage as well as stroke and paralysis and in some cases bacterial meningitis can be fatal if left untreated.
The cause of meningitis in older adults is from Streptococcus pneumoniae which is a type of bacteria that also causes sinus infections and pneumonia and is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in older adults and the elderly.
The main cause of meningitis is a bacterial infection or viral infection.
The most common type of meningitis is viral meningitis which is also the less serious type of meningitis while bacterial meningitis is more serious but less common.
If meningitis is left untreated it can lead to seizures, coma and even death and or permanent brain damage, learning disabilities and permanent disabilities.
While some cases of meningitis can go away on their own you should always take meningitis seriously and see a doctor and get medical treatment for it so they can tell how serious the meningitis is.
Meningitis does progress pretty fast and symptoms of bacterial meningitis typically develop within 3 days to 7 days of exposure.
However TB meningitis can progress slower than bacteria meningitis.
People who are infected with bacterial meningitis can go into a coma, have seizures or even die.
Meningitis does sometimes go away on it's own and most people with meningitis do get better on their own even without treatment.
However you should see a doctor about any meningitis symptoms as some can be more serious than others.
Meningitis is curable in most cases as long as you get prompt medical treatment.
Without treatment meningitis can be fatal.
Death from meningitis can occur in as little as 2 hours although most people who get treatment for meningitis survive and recover.
Some people who do recover from meningitis also have hearing loss, learning disabilities and brain damage.
The 6 symptoms of meningitis are.
Stiff Neck.
Vomiting.
Confusion.
Severe headache that gets worse or does not go away.
Fever.
Loss of appetite and thirst.
And sometimes a skin rash and sensitivity to light can be a sign and symptom of meningitis.
Most often symptoms of meningitis appears within 3 days to 6 days after being exposed to the meningitis virus.
Conditions that can be mistaken for meningitis are Crohn's disease, congestive heart failure, brain cancer, appendicitis, cirrhosis, angioedema, anaphylaxis and even alcoholism.
These conditions can cause similar symptoms of meningitis.
The deadliest type of meningitis is bacterial meningitis which is the most serious form and deadliest meningitis type.
Bacteria that enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain and spinal cord cause bacterial meningitis.
However bacterial meningitis also can occur when bacteria directly invade the meninges.
And this may be caused by an ear or sinus infection, a skull fracture, or rarely some surgeries.
Doctors check for meningitis through a spinal tap to collect cerebrospinal fluid.
When someone has meningitis the fluid will often show a low sugar level and an increased white blood cell count with increased protein.
The signs of meningitis are.
A high temperature.
Cold hands and feet.
Vomiting.
Confusion.
Breathing quickly.
Muscle and joint pain.
Pale, mottled or blotchy skin (this may be harder to see on brown or black skin)
And spots or a rash (this may be harder to see on brown or black skin)