However, viral meningitis almost never kills people. Patients with viral meningitis may feel quite unwell for a while after the illness, with symptoms of fatigues, headache and anxiety. Unfortunately there are no proven treatments for viral meningitis, however, sometimes a doctor might give a drug called Aciclovir which has been shown to be of benefit in other conditions caused by the herpes simplex virus or the chickenpox virus. In bacterial meningitis antibiotics are essential but in viral meningitis antibiotics will not have any effect. It is important to know whether the cause is viral or bacterial as this will determine how to treat the patient. Typically in bacterial meningitis the white cell count is much higher than in viral meningitis (and is a different type of white cell), the protein is much higher and the glucose is much lower than in viral meningitis. The clues that the doctor uses are the levels of white cells, protein and glucose in the CSF. If they are unsure they will normally opt to treat for bacterial meningitis, ‘just in case’. Often, however, the specific bug is not identified and the doctor will need to rely on several ‘clues’ in the CSF to decide. If the results of the lumbar puncture identify a specific virus or bacteria then the diagnosis is clear. This involves collecting a sample of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds the brain and spinal cord to find out what is causing the meningitis. To determine whether a person is suffering from viral or bacterial meningitis, doctors will have to perform a lumbar puncture. How can you tell the difference between viral and bacterial meningitis? The first symptoms are often non-specific and include fever, vomiting, headache and feeling unwell. Limb pain, pale skin, and cold hands and feet often appear earlier than the rash, neck stiffness, dislike of bright lights and confusion.Īn image of the meningococcal bacteria, which is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in the UK and Ireland. Sepsis can occur with or without bacterial meningitis.īacterial meningitis and sepsis are serious, life threatening illnesses. Bacterial meningitis can occur alongside sepsis, which is the more life threatening form of the disease and often involves the bacteria invading the blood as well. Many different bacteria can cause meningitis but the most common worldwide are meningococcal, pneumoccocal, Haemophilus influenzae. ![]() What is bacterial meningitis?īacterial meningitis is less common than viral, but it can still happen to anyone of any age. Viral meningitis is almost never life-threatening. It can present with a rash, but this is normally quite different to the rash seen in bacterial meningitis with meningococcal disease. Viral meningitis presents with similar symptoms to bacterial meningitis such as fever, headache, dislike of lights and neck stiffness. The MRF fact sheet on viral meningitis provides more information about these different types. Out of these, enteroviruses are the most common. ![]() It can be caused by many different viruses, but the most common are the herpes simplex virus (normally the same type of virus that causes genital herpes), the chickenpox or shingles virus (also known as varicella zoster virus), and the enterovirus. Viral meningitis is the most common type of meningitis in adults and older children. This blog will explain the main differences between the two. ![]() Meningitis that is caused by an infection is normally caused by either a bacteria or a virus. Inflammation of the meninges, or meningitis, is most often caused by an infection, but can be caused by other things such as medications or other medical conditions. Meningitis means inflammation of the meninges (meninges is the medical term for lining of the brain). The different types have different implications in terms of treatment and the risk of passing it on, as well as what the outcome for the patient might be. It is important to know that there are different types of meningitis. Meningitis can be a very scary word for people to hear.
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