Bacterial meningitis

Introduction: Bacterial meningitis

A bacterial infection which results in inflammation of the meninges of the brain. The meninges are the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. Serious cases can result in brain damage or even death. The condition most commonly affects young children.

Symptoms of Bacterial meningitis

• Tachypnoea
• Fever
• Tachycardia
• Hypoxemia
• Diaphoresis

See full list of 16 symptoms of Bacterial meningitis

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Bacterial meningitis:

• Cold & Flu: Home Testing:
  • Home Fever Tests
  • Home Ear Infection Tests
  • Home Flu Tests

Medical Textbooks Online about Bacterial meningitis

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Bacterial meningitis

• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
• Blood culture - Blood tests for bacteria
• Meningococcal rash pressure test - test a skin rash for the "failure to whiten under pressure" property of a meningococcal rash.

Read more about tests for Bacterial meningitis

Wrongly Diagnosed with Bacterial meningitis?

• Misdiagnosis of Bacterial meningitis
• Failure to diagnose Bacterial meningitis
• Underlying causes of Bacterial meningitis (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Failure to diagnose Bacterial meningitis

Misdiagnosis and Bacterial meningitis

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Read more about Misdiagnosis and Bacterial meningitis

Causes of Bacterial meningitis

• Meningococcus
• Pneumococcus
• Hib
• Tuberculosis
• E. coli

See full list of 6 causes of Bacterial meningitis

More information about causes of Bacterial meningitis:

• Underlying causes of Bacterial meningitis
• Bacterial meningitis as a complication caused by other conditions
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Bacterial meningitis

Treatments for Bacterial meningitis

• Emergency hospitalization
• Antibiotics

Read more about treatments for Bacterial meningitis

Videos for Bacterial meningitis

Patient Surveys for Bacterial meningitis

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Bacterial meningitis
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Prognosis for Bacterial meningitis

Prognosis for Bacterial meningitis: bacterial meningitis can be quite severe and may result in brain damage, hearing loss, or learning disability. (Source: excerpt from Meningococcal Disease (General): DBMD)

More about prognosis of Bacterial meningitis

Reseach about Bacterial meningitis

Visit our research pages for current research about Bacterial meningitis treatments.

Clinical Trials for Bacterial meningitis

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Bacterial meningitis include:

• Amikacin Penetration Into the Cerebrospinal Fluid - This study is not yet open for patient recruitment (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Systemic and Intra-Thecal Amikacin Therapy
• Study in Children to Evaluate the Immunogenicity and Safety of 4 Formulations of GSK Bio MenACWY-TT Conjugate Vaccine - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Study to Evaluate GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Biologicals MenC-TT Vaccine and Hib-MenC-TT Vaccine in Infants - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Study to Evaluate GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Biologicals MenC-TT and Hib-MenC-TT or Meningitec in Healthy Toddlers - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Immunogenicity and Safety Study of a Meningococcal Serogroup B Vaccine Given in a 3 Dose Schedule to Healthy Adolescents Aged 12 -18 Years - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)

See full list of 18 Clinical Trials for Bacterial meningitis

Prevention of Bacterial meningitis

Prevention information for Bacterial meningitis has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Bacterial meningitis.

• Vaccinations
  • HIB conjugate vaccine - a widely used vaccine that has greatly reduced Hib incidence.
  • Polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine - protects against 4 meningococcal strains: A, C, Y, and W135.
  • Conjugate meningococcal C vaccine - a newer meningococcal vaccine that works for infants but only against subtype C.
  • Polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine - older vaccine; not for under 2 years.

Read more about prevention of Bacterial meningitis

Statistics for Bacterial meningitis

• Medical statistics for Bacterial meningitis
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Bacterial meningitis
• Death and Mortality statistics for Bacterial meningitis
• Society statistics for Bacterial meningitis

Types of Bacterial meningitis

• Meningococcal Meningitis
• Pneumococcal meningitis
• Hib meningitis
• TB meningitis
• E coli meningitis

See full list of 7 Types of Bacterial meningitis

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User Interactive Forums

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