Diseases » Meningococcal disease » Introduction

Meningococcal disease

Meningococcal disease: Introduction

Meningococcal disease is not only meningitis, but actually includes several types of disease, all caused by the Neisseria meningitidis or just "meningococcus" bacteria. Recent attention to meningococcal disease has arisen due to several epidemics in college students or school age children. Despite this media attention the age group 15-24 is actually only the second most at-risk group, with the highest incidence rates in infants less than a year old. Also significantly at risk are any children under 5 years.

Symptoms of Meningococcal disease

• Symptoms of meningitis:
  • High fever
  • Severe headache
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
• more symptoms...»

See full list of 56 symptoms of Meningococcal disease

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Meningococcal disease:

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• Home Anemia Diagnostic Tests
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Meningococcal disease: Complications

Review possible medical complications related to Meningococcal disease:

• Death
• Permanent deafness
• Brain damage
• Mental retardation
• Limb amputation
• Kidney failure (type of Kidney disease)
• more complications...»

Disease Topics Related To Meningococcal disease

Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Meningococcal disease:

• Epidemic cerebrospinal fever
• Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome
• Meningitis
• Meningococci
• Fulminant meningococcemia
• more related diseases...»

Medical Textbooks Online about Meningococcal disease

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

Diagnostic Tests for Meningococcal disease

• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
• Blood tests for bacteria
• Rash pressure test - pressing the rash to see if it whitens.
• more tests...»

Read more about tests for Meningococcal disease

Wrongly Diagnosed with Meningococcal disease?

• Misdiagnosis of Meningococcal disease
• Failure to diagnose Meningococcal disease
• Hidden causes of Meningococcal disease (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Undiagnosed: Meningococcal disease

Meningococcal disease: Self Assessment Tools

• Stroke -- Self Assessment Tools
• more tools...»

Meningococcal disease: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers

Products, offers and promotion categories available for Meningococcal disease:

• Stroke
• Brain
• more product offers...»

Meningococcal disease: Undiagnosed Conditions

Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Undiagnosed:
  • Adult ADHD -- Undiagnosed - ADHD can be undiagnosed in adults.
  • ADHD -- Undiagnosed
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  • Migraine -- Undiagnosed
  • Concentration Disorders -- Undiagnosed
  • Stroke -- Undiagnosed
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Undiagnosed
  • Schizophrenia -- Undiagnosed
  • Epilepsy -- Undiagnosed
• more undiagnosed conditions...»

Misdiagnosis and Meningococcal disease

Unnecessary hysterectomies due to undiagnosed bleeding disorder in women: The bleeding disorder called Von Willebrand's disease is quite common in women, but often fails to be correctly diagnosed. Women with the condition tend to have ...read more »

Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness because he suffered from sudden inability to speak. This was initially...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of...read more »

Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms of severe brain injury are hard to miss, it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those...read more »

MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked. This is...read more »

Brain pressure condition often misdiagnosed as dementia: A condition that results from an excessive pressure of CSF within the brain is often misdiagnosed....read more »

Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their return. A variety of symptoms can...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Meningococcal disease

Meningococcal disease: Research Doctors & Specialists

Research related physicians and medical specialists:

• Neurology (Brain/CNS Specialists):
  • Neurology (Brain/CNS Specialists)
  • Pediatric Neurology (Child Brain Specialist)
  • Pediatric Neurosurgery (Child Neurosurgeon)
  • Clinical Neurophysiology
  • Neurodevelopment Disabilities
  • Neurosurgery (Brain Surgery)
  • Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (Nerve/Muscle/Bone Specialists)
  • Neuroradiology
  • Vascular Neurology
  • Neuropathology
  • Otology / Neurotology (Ear/Hearing Specialists)
• Stroke & Vascular Specialists:
  • Vascular Neurology (Brain Blood Vessels)
  • Vascular & Interventional Radiology
  • Vascular Surgery (Blood Vessel Surgeon)
  • Neuropathology (Brain Diagnostics)
• Blood Health Specialists (Hematology):
  • Hematology (Blood Specialists)
  • Pediatric Hematology / Oncology (Child Cancer/Leukemia)
• more specialists...»

Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:

• Rate Your Doctor Online
• Research Your Doctor Online
• Review Patient Surveys About Your Doctor
• Research local specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

Meningococcal disease: Rare Types

Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Rare Types:
  • Adult ADHD -- Rare Types
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  • Concentration Disorders -- Rare Types
  • Stroke -- Rare Types
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Rare Types
  • Schizophrenia -- Rare Types
  • Epilepsy -- Rare Types
• more rare diseases...»

Causes of Meningococcal disease

• Meningococcal meningitis is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis (also known as meningococcus)
• more causes...»

Read more about causes of Meningococcal disease

More information about causes of Meningococcal disease:

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

Treatments for Meningococcal disease

• Emergency hospitalization - many cases require urgent emergency treatment.
• Antibiotics
  • Penicillin
  • Penicillin G
  • Ampicillin
• more treatments...»

See full list of 12 treatments for Meningococcal disease

News Archives for Meningococcal disease

Medical news articles related to Meningococcal disease include:

• Risk to Baby Rises With Repeat C-Sections
• Antibiotic-Resistant Meningitis Reported in U.S.
• Using C-Section Scars to Predict Future Deliveries
• CDC Warns of Rise in Childhood Infections Tied to Meningitis Germ
• Meningitis Vaccine Seems to Work Like a Charm
• Early Elective C-Sections Produce Complications
• C-Section Might Boost Baby's Asthma Risk
• Health Tip: Healing After a C-Section
• more health news...»

Source: HealthDay News

Evidence Based Medicine Research for Meningococcal disease

Medical research articles related to Meningococcal disease include:

• Antibiotics for preventing meningococcal infections
• Pre-admission antibiotics for suspected cases of meningococcal disease
• Management of invasive meningococcal disease in children and young people
• Management of invasive meningococcal disease in children and young people. A national clinical guideline.
• Seroprotection against serogroup C meningococcal disease in adolescents in the United Kingdom: observational study.
• Duration of hypotension before initiation of effective antimicrobial therapy is the critical determinant of survival in human septic shock
• 1) General recommendations on immunization: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). 2) Update: recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding administration of combination MMRV va
• more research...»

Click here to find more evidence-based articles on the TRIP Database

Videos for Meningococcal disease

See full list of 4 related videos

Patient Surveys for Meningococcal disease

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Meningococcal disease
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for Meningococcal disease

Prognosis for Meningococcal disease: The death rate ranges from 5% to 15%, with young children and adults over 50 having the highest risk of death.

More about prognosis of Meningococcal disease

Reseach about Meningococcal disease

Visit our research pages for current research about Meningococcal disease treatments.

Clinical Trials for Meningococcal disease

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 Meningococcal disease include:

• Study of NeisVac-C Vaccine to Evaluate Immunological Interference With Hepatitis B, Inactivated Polio and Acellular Pertussis Vaccines in Healthy Infants - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Study of Menactra in Children Aged 4 to 6 Years When Administered Concomitantly With a Fifth Dose of DAPTACEL - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• A Study of 2 Doses of Menactra, a Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Healthy Toddlers - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• 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)
• Lot-to-Lot Consistency of Tritanrix-HepB/Hib-MenAC & Its Non-Inferiority vs Tritanrix-HepB/Hiberix in Infants - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• more trials...»

See full list of 22 Clinical Trials for Meningococcal disease

Prevention of Meningococcal disease

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

• Polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine - protects against 4 strains: A, C, Y, and W135.
• Conjugate meningococcal C vaccine - a newer vaccine that works for infants but only against subtype C.
• Avoid sharing saliva
  • Avoid sharing food or drink
  • Avoid sharing cigarrettes
• more preventions...»

Read more about prevention of Meningococcal disease

Statistics for Meningococcal disease

• Medical statistics for Meningococcal disease
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Meningococcal disease
• Death and Mortality statistics for Meningococcal disease
• Society statistics for Meningococcal disease

Meningococcal disease: Broader Related Topics

• Streptococcal Infections
• Bacterial diseases
• Meningitis
• more types...»

Types of Meningococcal disease

Types of Meningococcal disease

• Subtypes by body part attacked:
  • Meningococcal septicemia - blood poisoning from the bacteria
  • Meningococcemia - a mild form of blood poisoning not as severe as septicemia
• Subtypes based on serogroup:
  • Meningococcus A - most common in Africa; causes epidemics.
• more types...»

See full list of 11 Types of Meningococcal disease

Rare Types of Meningococcal disease:

Rare types of Meningococcal disease include:

• Viral meningitis
• Bacterial meningitis
• Acute meningitis
• Aseptic meningitis
• Eosinophilic meningitis
• Tuberculous meningitis
• more types...»

Stories from Users Related to Meningococcal disease

• Meningitis and headache- please HELP!
• misdiagnosis of meningitis, doctor and hospital cover up and ending up with ETC ..
• Not being taken seriously b/c symptoms come and go
• Second Pregancy after C-Section with in 5 month
• Meningitis? Please help
• live n bear it??
• R.n.
• Any one pregnant so soon after d&c?
• c.difficule colitis
• S.I.C.K. Scapula & Winged Scapula
• Meningitis? Plese help!
• ïîìîãèòå ñ ïîñåùàëêîé
• MENINgiTIS do i have it?
• Need to K N O W
• Meningitis stroke
• Meningicoccal Meningitis Missed
• Are symptoms related to previous shock treatment and/or meningitis??
• please help me, whether iam suffering from meningitis or meningoencephalitis
• meningitis
• Meningitis

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Meningococcal disease, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

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Definitions of Meningococcal disease:

A species of gram-negative, aerobic BACTERIA. It is a commensal and pathogen only of humans, and can be carried asymptomatically in the NASOPHARYNX. When found in cerebrospinal fluid it is the causative agent of cerebrospinal meningitis (MENINGITIS, MENINGOCOCCAL). It is also found in venereal discharges and blood. There are at least 13 serogroups based on antigenic differences in the capsular polysaccharides; the ones causing most meningitis infections being A, B, C, Y, and W-135. Each serogroup can be further classified by serotype, serosubtype, and immunotype. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Meningococcal disease is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Meningococcal disease, or a subtype of Meningococcal disease, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Meningococcal disease as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet

 » Next page: What is Meningococcal disease?

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