Meningococcal infection, fortunately, is rare. Some doctors, even in their many years of careers, do not face this problem even once, and therefore it is not always possible to recognize it in good time.
Aware - then, armed. God forbid, of course, you will face this trouble, but just in case, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the main symptoms of meningococcal infection.
Meningococcal infection - classification and description
Meningococcal infection is a disease that causes the meningococcal virus. The main feature of the infection is its polymorphism. Simply put, the disease can manifest itself in various forms, which in most cases becomes the reason for the complication of the diagnosis of meningococcal infection.
It is accepted to distinguish several basic forms of the disease:
- Localized - the causative agent of the disease lives only in a particular organ. This category includes carriers of the virus and patients with acute nasopharyngitis.
- The generalized form occurs when the virus spreads through the body. Infection in this case threatens the development of such diseases as meningitis , meningoencephalitis and others.
- A rare form of meningococcal infection is pneumonia or arthritis, for example.
Regardless of the form of meningococcal infection, the incubation period of it is from two to ten days. Most of the infection of the meningococcal virus affects children, although from time to time doctors have to establish cases of infection by infection and among adults with fairly good (at first glance) immunity.
In meningococcal infection there is only one way of transmission - airborne. Meningococci can only be transmitted from person to person, the virus is not adapted to life in the environment - it dies within ten minutes after being exposed to fresh air.
What are the main signs of meningococcal infection?
The way the infection behaves in the body depends on a large number of different factors, such as the degree of development and localization of the virus, the characteristics of the organism and some others.
Meningococcal infection, the symptoms of which differ from case to case, can develop in two main directions. In the first case, the virus concentrates in the nasopharynx, and the course of the disease resembles an ordinary cold. A person suffering from this form of infection becomes a carrier of the virus. In the second case, the virus, beginning to develop in the nasopharynx, gradually moves into the blood and threatens to infect the deadly disease.
In any case, if the body develops a meningococcal infection, its symptoms should look something like this:
- high fever, accompanied by chills, weakness and poor health;
- headache , unpleasant sensations in the occipital part and vomiting;
- increased excitement and sensitivity to bright sunlight;
- rash in acute meningococcal infection manifests itself in the form of spots of different shapes that do not change shade when palpating, clearly stand out on the body;
- bruises on the mucous membranes are possible.
Consequences and complications of meningococcal infection
Meningococcal infection is terrible not only because it is difficult to recognize and even harder to cure. Diseases caused by meningococcus can have very unpleasant consequences and are characterized by terrible complications.
Deafness and blindness are among the most common complications. Equally pleasant is the likelihood of developing a dropsy of the brain. In the absence of treatment, a lethal outcome is possible.
To avoid all this, you should carefully monitor your health and not let the disease run its course. With any complaints it is better to contact the specialists in a timely manner.