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Sub-Category:

Acute Meningitis

Specialty: Emergency and Urgent Care

Sub-category: Other Neurological Conditions

Symptoms:
fever; severe headache; neck stiffness; nausea and vomiting; sensitivity to light (photophobia); altered mental status; seizures

Root Cause:
Inflammation of the meninges, often caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal infections.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Clinical evaluation, lumbar puncture (CSF analysis), blood cultures, and imaging studies like CT or MRI (to rule out other conditions).

Treatment:
Empiric antibiotics (if bacterial is suspected), antivirals (if viral is suspected), supportive care (hydration, antipyretics, and analgesics).

Medications:
Third-generation cephalosporins (e.g., ceftriaxone or cefotaxime ), vancomycin (for resistant organisms), acyclovir (for suspected viral causes), and corticosteroids (e.g., dexamethasone ) to reduce inflammation in bacterial meningitis.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Variable; bacterial meningitis affects approximately 1-2 per 100,000 annually in developed countries.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Recent respiratory or ear infections, immunosuppression, head trauma, close contact with infected individuals, unvaccinated status.

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Prompt treatment improves outcomes; mortality is 10–30% in bacterial meningitis, with long-term neurological complications in survivors.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Brain damage, hearing loss, hydrocephalus, seizures, and death if untreated.