Probably the first illness I could name as a kid was meningitis; it's infamous because
it can happen so quickly and is potentially fatal.
And more common in children.
So let's get to know the enemy.
Hello I’m Dr Ed Hope and welcome to Sick Notes, where I try and explain complex medical
terms in plain English, this one is all about Meningitis.
Meningitis is an infection of the coverings of the brain that causes rapidily progressing
symptoms of headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, neck stiffness, intolerance of
lights, and sometimes a blotchy rash.
Meningitis is a medical emergency because if not treated quickly can lead to life-changing
disability such as brain damage, blindness, loss of limbs, epilepsy, and even death.
It is caused by an infection usually viral or bacterial, that occurs within the outer
linings of the brain, this is where it gets it’s name, because these linings are called
‘meninges’ and ‘itis’ means inflammation.
As the infection spreads within through this outer lining of the brain it causes cell death
and therefore causes inflammation.
This inflammation causes swellings of the lining of the brain, and because there's nowhere
for this swelling to go because it happens within the skull which is a fixed bony object,
this squashes the brain and causes the symptoms of headache, nausea & vomiting and drowsiness.
The symptom of neck stiffness is because the meninges not only cover the brain but they
also go right the way down the spinal cord so around the spinal cord in your neck and
your back.
Therefore when this becomes inflamed when you move your neck it irritates the lining
therefore causing pain and stiffness.
And the symptom of fever is your body's natural response to try and tackle a bacterial infection,
bacteria typically prefer lower temperatures, therefore your body increases your body temperature
to help make it more difficult for the bacteria grow.
Thankfully most cases of meningitis are caused by viruses and so not usually life-threatening
although still a medical emergency.
The most common cause of bacterial meningitis is the meningococcal bacterial.
This is particularly deadly because at the same time as causing meningitis it usually
causes infection of the blood, that we call septicaemia.
‘Septic’ coming from the term of an infective disease and ‘aemia’ meaning something
happening in blood.
Therefore when this happens we call it ‘Meningococcal Septicaemia’.
It is septicaemia that causes this notorious rash, because as the infection takes hold
in the blood it can damage some blood vessels, this causes some of the blood to leak out
into the tissues and causing this classic non-blanching rash which basically means when
you put a glass against the rash, the rash doesn't disappear.
This is commonly known as the glass test.
The rash in meningoccocal septicaemia normally develops as a very late sign and also don't
forget the rash is not going to be present in other types of meningitis, therefore trust
your instincts and don't wait for the rash.
If you think yourself, your child or someone around you has meningitis then you must get
immediate medical help.
Doctors suspecting meningitis will not wait for investigation results before beginning
treatment of antibiotics, fluids and measures to control the pain and fever.
Blood tests and imagining all have their place, so too does a test called a lumbar puncture,
where we take a needle to the back and take a tiny bit of fluid from around the membranes
of the spinal cord this we can grow in a lab and look under a microscope to aid diagnosis.
If bacterial meningitis is confirmed doctors may want to give antibiotics to people who
have been in close contact with the patient.
Children and teenagers are most at risk of meningitis because they tend to be in close
contact with lots of different people, therefore the best way to protect yourself or your children
is get vaccinated..
It’s important to remember that this doesn’t prevent all strains of meningitis, therefore
if someone who has been vaccinated gets symptoms they still need medical help.
I’ve put a link in the description below about details on vaccinations.
So I hope this has helped your understanding of meningitis and how it causes it's symptoms.
I've put some clarifications in the description below and some useful links including the
one to the vaccinations.
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