Serous meningitis is a sentence?

What is this disease - meningitis?This is the inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord. There are numerous classifications of this ailment: the causative agent, the course, the severity of the process, the presence of complications. Also, it is divided according to the nature of the inflammation:

• serous;
• purulent.

Serous meningitis is a form of illness thatcharacterized by the presence of a large number of lymphocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid. It is usually caused by viral pathogens (chickenpox, measles, influenza, ECHO, rubella and other diseases) and protozoa (toxoplasm). Purulent form occurs under the influence of fungi, various bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococcus, Klebsiella, meningococcus, streptococci, pneumococci). Both adults and children, including babies, are ill. Death from meningitis is a frequent occurrence if the ailment has not been timely diagnosed and the patient has not been treated.

How is the disease manifested

Usually the symptoms of a purulent or serous process are similar, only at the latter they are weaker. The patient is noted:

• headache;
• fear of light and touch;
• convulsions;
• in infants - bulging of the fontanel;
• confusion of consciousness;
• sometimes vomiting;
• fever (while the body temperature rises - up to 40 ^aboutC, then decreases to normal and rises again).

Rigidity (hardness) of the cervical and cervicalmuscles, severe drowsiness, coma in people suffering from a serous form of inflammation of the membranes of the brain, are infrequent. Rashes, as with meningococcal infection, do not occur. If the disease is caused by measles, mumps and other viruses, other manifestations characteristic of them will be present.

So, we figured out that serous meningitis -it is a disease accompanied by certain symptoms of the affected meninges. External clinical signs of it differ little from those with purulent inflammation.

How to diagnose pathology

Because serous meningitis is a disease usuallyviral etiology, and purulent - bacterial, then their therapy must be different, because you have to work on the cause of the pathology to cure the patient. How to confirm the diagnosis? The most important and determining method is the investigation of cerebrospinal fluid. Blood tests are also performed. The analyzes will be specific for viral diseases.

How is the disease treated?

Proceeding from the fact that serous meningitis is usually caused by a virus or the simplest process, therapy should be appropriate, designate:

• antiviral drugs (antiprotozoal);
• diuretics;
• anticonvulsant;
• solutions for intravenous administration;
• sometimes corticosteroids;
• therapeutic punctures to remove excess fluid on the brain;

According to the famous modern pediatrician -Dr. Komarovsky - we can treat meningitis in children, but you can not hesitate to contact a doctor. Although in general the prognosis for serous disease is better than for bacterial, but the problem is serious. On the speed of treatment will depend on the life of the child and further projections for a complete recovery.