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When looking at the most common causes of meningitis, 8.3% are due to herpes simplex virus. [8] HSV-2 specifically is the most common cause of meningitis in adults. [6] Herpesviral meningitis primarily affects people aged 35–40, the elderly, and women. [9] Between 20% and 50% of cases have clinical recurrences. [3]
Some of the possible symptoms of chronic meningitis (due to any cause) include headache, nausea and vomiting, fever, and visual impairment. Nuchal rigidity (or neck stiffness with discomfort in trying to move the neck), a classic symptom in acute meningitis, was seen in only 45% of cases of chronic meningitis with the sign being even more rare in non-infectious causes.
Meningitis can be life-threatening because of the inflammation's proximity to the brain and spinal cord; therefore, the condition is classified as a medical emergency. [2] [8] A lumbar puncture, in which a needle is inserted into the spinal canal to collect a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), can diagnose or exclude meningitis. [1] [8]
People with cranial CSF leaks, the rarer form, have a 10% risk of developing meningitis per year. [55] If cranial leaks last more than seven days, the chances of developing meningitis are significantly higher. [55] Spinal CSF leaks cannot result in meningitis due to the sterile conditions of the leak site. [24]
Aseptic meningitis is a disease that can depend on the patient's age, however, research has shown some distinct symptoms that indicate the possibility of aseptic meningitis. A variety of patients notice a change in body temperatures (higher than normal temperatures 38-40 °C), marked with the possibility of vomiting, headaches, firm neck pain ...
CSF glucose levels can be useful in distinguishing among causes of meningitis as more than 50% of patients with bacterial meningitis have decreased CSF glucose levels while patients with viral meningitis usually have normal CSF glucose levels. Decrease in glucose levels during a CNS infection is caused due to glycolysis by both white cells and ...
A CSF fungal culture can tell if there is a microbiological failure (failure of the fungal infections to treat the infection). CSF fungal culture has a 90% sensitivity and 100% specificity for the diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis. CSF cell analysis is characterized by increased lymphocytes, reduced protein, and reduced glucose. [17]
Growth indicated a bacterial meningitis, while no growth indicated another cause denoted "aseptic" meningitis. [1] The most common form of this is viral meningitis. [1] Recent medical advances allows rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing that analyzes the CSF for DNA or RNA. This can quickly determine if there are bacterial or viral ...