Hearing of a case of meningitis can evoke fear, especially when a daycare, school or college is involved. Meningitis symptoms include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting. and often appear suddenly. Individually, these symptoms are rather common and non-specific, but together they could indicate meningitis, or other illnesses with similar symptoms. World-wide, 1.2 million cases of meningitis occur each year, according to a study by Dr. Abdulrab and colleagues in the January 20, 2010 issue of "Japanese Journal of Infectious Disease."
Encephalitis
The National Institutes of Health defines meningitis as inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord but inflammation of the brain may be another potentially life-threatening disease called encephalitis. Meningitis and encephalitis share the symptoms of high fever, headache, neck stiffness, confusion, nausea and vomiting, making them difficult to differentiate without further testing. Encephalitis may also cause seizures. Both viral and bacterial causes exist for both diseases and diagnosis, or differentiation, requires a spinal tap that collects fluid from the spinal cord for laboratory analysis. The prevalence of encephalitis varies, depending on location, season and causative agent.
Encephalitis should not be confused with encephalopathy, which includes neurological symptoms caused by metabolic or chemical insults to the brain, according to a review of literature by Dr. Varatharaj in the August 24, 2010 issue of "Neurology India". Dr. Varatharaj also states that, worldwide, more than 100 countries are plagued with a common viral illness called dengue fever. This virus frequently leads to encephalitis or encephalopathy.
Giant Cell Arteritis
An inflammatory condition of the cerebral arteries located near the temples, giant cell arteritis commonly affects the elderly. Symptoms are similar to that of meningitis and typically include headache, fever and confusion. The symptoms also may come on suddenly, similar to meningitis. While giant cell arteritis leads to similar symptoms, it is not caused by an infection -- viral or bacterial -- like meningitis or encephalitis. Giant cell atreritis poses the risk of vision loss; symptoms should be reported immediately to a healthcare provider. According to Dr. Arida and colleagues in a research study published a 2010 issue of "BioMed Central: Musculoskeletal Disorders", 15 percent of patients diagnosed with giant cell arteritis lose vision on the affected side making early diagnosis and treatment critical.
Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysm
A potentially life-threatening condition, a ruptured cerebral aneurysm may cause symptoms similar to meningitis, including a sudden headache, stiff neck, confusion, nausea and vomiting. Usually, patients report that the headache is the worst headache ever experienced. A weakened and often bulging area of a vessel in the brain, the aneurysm may cause symptoms before it ruptures, due to pressure on the surrounding brain tissue. The majority of stokes caused by bleeding into the brain are from ruptured cerebral aneurysms, according to Dr. Tan and colleagues in a case report published in a 2010 issue of "Singapore Medical Journal." Report symptoms to a healthcare provider immediately.
References
- "Japanese Journal of Infectious Disease"; Acute Bacterial Meningitis in Adults: A Hospital Based Study in Yemen; Amin Abdulrab; Jan. 2010
- "Neurology India"; Encephalitis in the Clinical Spectrum of Dengue Fever; Aravinthan Varatharaj; 2010
- "BioMed Central: Musculoskeletal Disorders"; The Diagnostic Value of Ultrasound-Derived Edema of the Temporal Artery Wall in Giant Cell Arteritis: A Second Meta-Analysis; Aikaterini Arida; 2010
- "Singapore Medical Journal"; Sudden Severe Chest Pain: Thoracic Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Aneurysm Rupture With Intracranial Subarachnoid Haemorrhage; A.K. Tan; 2010
