Meningitis, lethal if not detected early

• April 19, 2024

In the cases of meningitis that have been presented with three inmates in the North Prison of Mexico City and the death of one of them due to complications of this disease, the capital and federal health authorities, continue to affirm that there is no outbreak of meningitis .

However, they have carried out a sanitary inspection to detect the risk of respiratory infections sharp during the rainy season and low temperatures.

All this in order to have a control of this disease that is characterized by inflammation and irritation in the membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord .

In an interview with the president of the College of Otorhinolaryngology of the State of Mexico, Dr. David Núñez comments: "Generally this is caused by a viral infection that with a timely diagnosis is achieved healing the patient, but bacterial meningitic infections are very serious and can cause death or brain damage ”.

According to the also member of the Mexican Federation of Otolaryngology and Surgery, Head and Neck (FESORMEX), some of the most common symptoms of meningitis are: intense headache , fatigue , drowsiness Y stiff neck :

Know the symptoms

"In 90% of cases, patients experience severe headaches and in 70% there is a stiff neck, so they can not move that part of the brain," Núñez reiterates.

To this symptomatology is also added the loss of consciousness , sickness , fever , threw up , sensitivity to light (photophobia ), discomfort with intense sounds and sometimes breathing is faster.

However, since there are many characteristics with which meningitis could be confused with another viral disease, it is necessary to perform various tests to confirm the diagnosis that usually occurs in the late fall:

"You have to verify that it really is a case of meningitis. Most infections occur in children under the age of five and in adults under 30, but in either case, it must be attended to in a timely manner. "

Verify the diagnosis

Some of the methods to confirm the meningitis are the computed tomography of the head, thorax raphiography and the puncture of the spinal cord :

"Based on these samples, we can rule out the presence of the disease, which can be treated with antibiotics and intravenous fluids to counteract any cerebral edema ", Says Núñez.

The health expert reiterates that the right person to treat meningitis is a neurologist, because of the complications that this could trigger in the brain: "If someone detects several of the symptoms, you should see the doctor as soon as possible."
 

Video Medicine: What are symptoms of meningitis? What is meningococcal septicaemia? And how does it cause symptoms? (April 2024).