The Meningitis Appeal 2009
Meningitis - The Facts
Meningilis is a very frightening disease because it can strike so quickly, causing someone to become seriously ill within hours and if not treated successfully can cause death and serious disability.
Meningitis does not discriminate and can affect anyone of any age or ethnic origin.
It is a confusing disease to understand as there are several different types. Knowing the common symptoms is vital as prompt medical treatment can mean the difference between life and death.
What is meningitis?
Meningitis is caused when the lining of the brain and spinal card - the meninges - become inflamed, usually as a result alan infection, The inflammation usually spreads to the spinal fluid.
This infection can be caused by viruses or bacteria and may also develop following serious head injuries.
Viral meningitis
Viral meningibs is more camman than bacterial meningitis and much less dangerous.
Aithough viral meningitis can make you feel very unwell, treatment is usualty rest and pain killers and mast people make a tull recovery without being admitted to hospital.
The symptoms far viral meningifis and bacterial meningitis are very similar, but are usually milder with viral meningitis. However, in the early stages of the illness it can be difficuit to tell the difference between the two.
In a small number of cases, people who have suffered tram viral meningitis may experience after-effects such as recurring headaches, exhaustion, deafness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), memory loss, lack of co-ordination or confusion.
Bacterial meningitis
Bacterial meningitis can be life threatening and requires URGENT medical treatment.
Someone suffering from bacterial meningitis needs to be treated with antibiotics immediately. The sooner effective treatment is given, the more likely a person is to make a full recovery.
Bacterial meningitis and septicoemia can be caused by different types of bacteria. The most common are meningococcol and pneumoooccol.
Meningococcal
Meningacoccol infection is caused by meningocaccol bacteria (Neisseria menigitidis) which cause twa distinct forms of disease - meningocaccal meningitis and meningococool septicoemia. They may occur separately or together. Of the two forms, meningocaccol septicoemia is the most dangerous.
Meningococcal bacteria are the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the UK. Approximately 5% of people who suffer from meningocaccal meningitis will die.
Meningocoocal septicoemia occurs when meningacoccol bacteria enter the blood stream and multiply uncontrollably, poisoning the blood and completely overwhelming the immune system damaging the blood vessels, tissues and organs.
Approximately 20% of cases of meningacoccol sepflcoemia will result in death, rising to over 50% if the patient develops sepfic shock prior to receiving medical core.
When meningacoccol septicoemia strikes, causing the blood vessels to hoemarrhoge, the blood circulation does not reoch the extremities of the bady, i.e. hands and feet, In extreme cases, where there is irreversible damage, the only way to save lives is to amputate limbs.
The bacteria came in different forms coiled serogroups which ore distinguished by the differences in the capsule coats surrounding them and cause different strains of the disease. There ore more than 13 known serogroups of meningococcal bacteria. In the UK, the most common is group B, for which there is still novoccine.The big challenge that scientists currenfly face is to find a successti.il vaccine to protect against all the serogroups.
Pneumococcal
Pneumoooccol bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae) which cause ear infections and pneumonia con also cause pneumocoocol meningitis, which is the second most common form of bacterial meningitis in the UK. Although pneumocoocol meningitis is less common than meningococcol meningitis, it is a lot more life threatening.
One in six children who contract pneumacoccol meningitis will die and half of those who survive will be left with severe disabilities such as deafness, brain damage or seizures. Pneumcoocccl meningitis can also be accompanied by septicoemio, the blood- poisoning form of the disease,
Young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems ore at higher risk of cantrocting pneumacoccol disease.
The good news is a vaccine to protect against pneumococcol infection has recently been introduced into the Childhood Immunisation Programme across the UK.
Other bacteria
Other bacteria which can cause meningitis include Group B Streptococcus (GBS) and E.coli, which account for most cases of meningitis in newborn babies in the UK. Listeria, staphylococcol infections and tuberculosts can also cause meningitis.
Symptoms
Same of the symptoms for meningitis ond meningacoccol septicoemia are the same, while others differ. Not everyone gets all of the symptoms and they can appear in any order. In the early stages of both diseases, symptoms can also often appear flu-like.
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Further information on Meningitis can be found at: www.meningitisUK.org
E-mail Contact: Susan Wildman
