Meningitis is an infection of the meninges, the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. It’s most often linked to viruses, but bacteria and fungi can lead to this condition as well. Since meningitis is the result of a pathogen, dietary changes — or any other lifestyle factor, for that matter — aren’t likely to improve this condition, so your caffeine intake shouldn’t have any impact on your prognosis.
Encephalitis
The only time caffeine appears to be an issue is with viral encephalitis, which is closely related to meningitis. Encephalitis, however, is an infection of the brain or spinal cord, not the meninges that surrounds these organs. If you develop encephalitis, avoid caffeine as well as alcohol and tobacco, cautions the University of Maryland Medical Center. Even though this suggestion won’t do anything to treat the condition, it can improve your overall health, which might be of benefit during treatment.
Caffeine
Meningitis, on the other hand, isn’t affected by caffeine consumption. In fact, if you regularly drink fluids containing caffeine, you can use coffee, tea or soda to meet your daily fluid intake needs. With viral meningitis, most medical professionals recommend increasing your fluid intake. For men, this amount is set at 3 liters a day, whereas women should get at least 2.2 liters. Talk to your doctor to determine the exact amount of fluids you should take in while dealing with meningitis.
Development
Meningitis develops when a virus, bacterium or fungi enters the bloodstream and migrates to the meninges, resulting in an infection. Regardless of the pathogen, it causes inflammation to the membrane surrounding the brain or spinal cord. As the infection and inflammation sets in, you may develop high fever, stiff neck, headache, nausea and vomiting. It’s also known to cause confusion, sleepiness, sensitivity to light and skin rashes.
Treatment
Treatment often depends on the cause of meningitis, so proper diagnosis is essential. Once the cause of the infection is determined, your doctor will likely prescribe antibiotics for bacterial meningitis and recommend over-the-counter pain relievers for viral meningitis, since this form of the condition usually improves on its own. You may also require other treatments for complications that commonly accompany meningitis, such as dehydration, shock and convulsions.
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