Meningitis Health Video

Meningitis is an inflammation of meninges, membranes that protect the brain or spinal cord. Find facts on meningitis including treatment options in this video.

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Treatments vary depending on the cause of disease
Immunization is major key in prevention
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About this Author

Dr. Susan McGladdery is a medical graduate from Oxford University in the UK and has a Master's Degree in Medical Sciences from Cambridge University. She has been a member of the Royal College of Physicians since 1991 and a member of the American Academy of Urgent Care since 2006. She trained as a Family Physician in the UK in Oxford and then in London. In a medical career that spans over 20 years, she has worked as a doctor in 5 countries on 3 continents and cared for patients from a multitude of different nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. McGladdery joined FirstMed Centers in mid 2002 and became Regional Medical Director in 2003.

DR. SUSAN MCGLADDERY: Hello, my name is Dr. Sue McGladdery. I'm the medical director from FirstMed Centers in Budapest, Hungary. I'd like to give you a little information about meningitis. This is an inflammation of the meninges. The membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord and it's usually due to bacterial or viral infection. It can also be caused by certain medications or other illnesses. Who is most at risk of meningitis? Predominantly, it infects pre-school children, college students, and older adults. Occasionally, it can be a problem for pregnant women, those who worked with animals or people who have some abnormality with their immune system, for example, AIDS patients or people who have had the spleen removed. Thanks to current childhood vaccines, bacterial meningitis is now much less common but when it does occur, it's usually a serious infection which can be life threatening if it's not treated correctly. So, what causes the bacterial meningitis to develop? The bacterium may spread to the meninges following severe head trauma or it can develop from a severe local infection such as an infection in the middle ear or even a sinus infection in the nasal sinus area. Viral meningitis is much more common than bacterial meningitis and typically, has milder symptoms. When should we suspect meningitis? Well, the common symptoms include things like fever, lethargy even with the decreased conscious level. There will be irritability, headache, photophobia - meaning a sensitivity to the light, stiff neck, skin rashes, maybe even seizures. A note of warning, young children and elderly people may often not show the classic symptoms. There is no way to tell what kind of meningitis you have without seeing your doctor. If you have a viral meningitis, it'll get back on it's own but if you have a bacterial meningitis, you will need antibiotic treatment. So in any case, you'll need urgent hospitalization to make tests, CT, lumbar puncture to identify the cause of the meningitis. The treatment will obviously depends on the cause. Remember that routine immunization can go a long way towards preventing meningitis, so don't neglect that part of your preventative health program.