Meningococcal meningitis

The incubation period of the disease is from 2 to 7 days. Most often, the symptoms begin to appear on day 3 of the disease, and in acute form the disease develops rapidly and rapidly progresses.

Symptoms of meningococcal meningitis

Common infectious or, as they are called, infectious-toxic symptoms are expressed as:

• a sudden increase in temperature;
• nausea;
• vomiting;
• tachycardia;
• other signs of acute intoxication.

Specific (meningeal syndromes) manifest themselves as:

• headaches of an acute, bursting nature;
• confusion of consciousness;
• light and noise;
• exacerbation of sensitivity;
• pain in the eyes ;
• hallucinations.

In the advanced stages of the disease are possible:

• convulsions;
• visual impairment due to edema of the optic nerve;
• difficulty swallowing;
• paresis and partial paralysis;
• stiff neck.

Diagnosis and treatment of meningococcal meningitis

The initial diagnosis is based on a combination of common symptoms in clinical examination. To confirm it during meningococcal meningitis, bacteriological and biochemical examination of cerebrospinal fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) is carried out.

Treatment of meningococcal meningitis is carried out only in a hospital, a massive use of antibiotics, as well as funds designed to remove intoxication, reduce brain edema and glucocorticosteroid hormones.

Complications of meningococcal meningitis

Depending on the severity of the course of the disease and the timeliness of the start of treatment, meningococcal meningitis can lead to a number of severe consequences:

• infectious-toxic shock and clotting of blood, can lead to internal bleeding and impairment of the functions of various organs, up to a lethal outcome;
• acute failure of adrenal function, accompanied by a sharp decrease in blood pressure;
• myocardial infarction;
• swelling of the brain.

After the disease, there may be residual effects and complications in the form of hearing loss (up to complete deafness), blindness, hydrocephalus, epileptic seizures, decreased intelligence and impairment of certain motor functions.