What is meningitis similar to?
Encephalitis and meningitis are both conditions that affect your brain. Both can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites. They’re also both considered serious and need to be treated right away by a medical professional. Despite similarities, encephalitis and meningitis are not the same.
What is the difference between meningococcal meningitis and bacterial meningitis?
What is the difference between bacterial meningococcal disease and viral meningitis? Bacterial meningococcal disease, including meningococcal meningitis, usually has a more sudden onset and is a more severe illness than viral meningitis.
Can meningitis be mistaken for something else?
Missed Diagnosis of Meningitis In people of all ages, bacterial meningitis can be misdiagnosed as viral meningitis or even strep throat, which causes a delay in the appropriate treatment.
What can be mistaken for meningitis rash?
A petechial rash, which stems from bleeding under the skin, does not necessarily result from meningitis. Some medications and many health issues — including injuries and viral infections — can cause rashes that may appear similar. This is why it is so important to check for other meningitis symptoms.
What mimics viral meningitis?
The most common alternative etiologies that mimic viral meningitis are: erhlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Kawasaki disease, and Lyme meningitis.
What mimics bacterial meningitis?
Other viruses that cause meningitis include varicella zoster (the virus that causes chicken pox and can appear decades later as shingles), influenza, mumps, HIV, and herpes simplex type 2 (genital herpes). Fungal infections can affect the brain.
Is viral meningitis worse than bacterial meningitis?
However, viral meningitis almost never kills people. Bacterial meningitis on the other hand can be rapidly fatal or cause devastating after effects, so it is important to treat these cases with antibiotics as soon as possible.
What is the difference between encephalitis and meningitis?
Encephalitis and meningitis are both infections of the brain, but they affect different parts of the brain. Meningitis is an infection in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges, while encephalitis is inflammation of brain tissues.
What is the meaning of meningitis?
Meningitis. Meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. A bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord usually causes the swelling. However, injuries, cancer, certain drugs, and other types of infections also can cause meningitis.
What is the pathophysiology of meningitis?
Meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. A bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord usually causes the swelling.
What are the different types of meningitis?
There are different types of meningitis based on its cause, including bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic, and non-infectious meningitis. Bacterial causes stem from Neisseria meningitides or Streptococcus pneumoniae. Viral meningitis can be caused by Herpes simplex virus and is typically less severe than bacterial meningitis.