Does meningitis affect the stomach?
Meningococcal meningitis: Stomach pain should be seen as a warning sign. Summary: Patients with meningococcal infection generally develop symptoms including a high temperature, vomiting and a stiff neck. But they might also just have a bad stomach ache.
What kind of inflammation is meningitis?
Meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. A bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord usually causes the swelling. However, injuries, cancer, certain drugs, and other types of infections also can cause meningitis.
Is meningitis an inflammatory disease?
Meningitis is a disease caused by an inflammation of the meninges. These are the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. The inflammation is usually caused by infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
How does meningitis cause inflammation?
Meningitis is a condition that causes the tissues covering your brain and spinal cord to become inflamed. The inflammation can be caused by a bacterial infection know as bacterial meningitis. The condition is called aseptic meningitis when not caused by bacteria.
How can you tell if you have meningitis?
Symptoms
- Sudden high fever.
- Stiff neck.
- Severe headache that seems different from normal.
- Headache with nausea or vomiting.
- Confusion or difficulty concentrating.
- Seizures.
- Sleepiness or difficulty waking.
- Sensitivity to light.
What can mimic meningitis?
The most common alternative etiologies that mimic viral meningitis are: erhlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Kawasaki disease, and Lyme meningitis. Other conditions sharing some of these symptoms are: drug-associated aseptic meningitis, central nervous system vasculitis, neoplastic diseases.
How does meningitis affect the brain and spinal cord?
Meningitis is an infection that causes the protective membranes of the nervous system to swell. Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord can affect every part of your body. Fever and other symptoms can come on suddenly and progress very quickly, causing devastating effects.
Which is the most common symptom of meningitis?
One of the most common symptoms of meningitis is a severe headache. The inflammation that occurs near the brain and spinal cord can result in significant pain. This headache may be mistaken for a migraine.
What’s the difference between meningitis and septicaemia?
Red ticks show symptoms more specific to meningitis and septicaemia and less common in milder illnesses. What are meningitis and septicaemia? Meningitis is inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord – the meninges. Septicaemia is blood poisoning caused by the same germs and is the more life threatening form of the disease.
What happens if meningitis is not treated quickly?
Meningitis can be very serious if not treated quickly. It can cause life-threatening blood poisoning (septicaemia) and result in permanent damage to the brain or nerves. A number of vaccinations are available that offer some protection against meningitis. These symptoms can appear in any order. You do not always get all the symptoms.
Is the stomach flu a cause of meningitis?
Viruses that cause “stomach flu” are a cause of viral meningitis, but most people who have these infections don’t develop meningitis. Others viruses that lead to meningitis are those that cause chickenpox, mononucleosis (mono), and herpes. Symptoms can be similar to those of bacterial meningitis.
Is the inflammation of the meninges called meningitis?
Inflammation of the meninges, the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, is called meningitis; inflammation of the brain itself is called encephalitis.
Can a meningitis infection spread to the brain?
However, it is a known complication of the infection. Encephalitis: The infection and inflammation of meningitis can spread to the brain, resulting in a condition called encephalitis. Encephalitis is the infection of the brain itself, and it causes a range of symptoms and effects that may be long-lasting.
When do the symptoms of meningitis come on?
In newborns and small infants, the symptoms of meningitis may come on rapidly, within a matter of hours. The classic meningitis symptoms of fever, headache, and neck stiffness may be absent or difficult to detect in very young babies.