Saturday, 29 October 2011

Bacterial Meningitis Rash Can Be Very Dangerous

By Herminia Stone


One symptom of having meningitis is having meningitis rash on the skin. It is usually dark red or pink. Other symptoms will also be present.

A virus or bacteria will cause the disease. When this travels through the body in the blood vessels, the body's defense can't really fight all the toxins that are being released and they wind up being damaged. The meningococcal bacteria spread very quickly and numbers increase throughout the bloodstream. The virus form is more common and is easier to fight off. People start feeling better after a few days of treatment. The bacterial form can be more severe if left untreated, but is not as frequent. It needs to be treated as soon as possible because it can be deadly. This disease can be spread between people.

The people who are in the most jeopardy of getting this disease are children through young adults, elderly, and those who have weaker immune systems. People who were administered a certain drug seemed to contract this disease as well. This drug was eventually taken off the market in 2004.

The viral and bacterial types have shared symptoms which are many including fever, headaches, stiff and sore neck muscles, confusion, vomiting and seizures. There are many more symptoms such as sore muscles. Weakness, tingling feelings, sensitivity to light, dizzy spells and the more obvious rash.

The symptoms of the bacterial form usually occur suddenly. The viral type sometime develops slowly over a period of days. Sometime these symptoms can be confused as flu in adults therefore not showing up as serious.

Most of the time if this disease is hinted at, they will take a spinal tap or lumbar puncture for testing. This is the best way to diagnose meningitis. Liquid is taken from the bottom of the spine and tested for the disease. It also determines if it is a virus or bacteria. Two other ways that are done for testing are a CT scan and MRI to see if there is any swelling. Other ways to check are urine test, x-rays, blood cultures, and a rash biopsy.

Treatment of meningitis varies dependent on the particular type of meningitis and the severity of the infection. Bacterial meningitis usually antibiotic along with extra fluids to assist in dehydration are given and this is usually through an IV, especially if vomiting is a problem.

You may be prescribed medicines to reduce your fever, prevent seizures and release pressure on the brain. If you have difficulty in breathing, oxygen may also be administered. The process and options will be determined by your doctor and should be discussed thoroughly with you.

There are now vaccines than can help stop this infection, considering it can be spread through close contact with an infected person. People living in close proximity to a person showing the meningitis rash should be immunized or checked by a doctor as soon as possible.This is a warning sign not to be taken lightly.




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