Viral meningitis: symptoms in children, treatment and prevention

Viral meningitis is an inflammatory process in the brain serous membranes. Less commonly, the disease affects the spinal cord, which is triggered by a viral infection.

Among all types of meningitis in adults and children viral flows quite favorable. children get sick more often, while the adults - are much rarer. Pathology transmitted through the air (air-borne), and by contaminated food and water (faecal-oral).

What it is?

Viral meningitis - inflammation of the serous membranes of the brain or in rare cases, the spinal cord, which is caused by a viral infection.

Causes of

Viruses transmitted as the airborne droplets and fecal-orally (through contaminated food and water). The disease is seasonal, since the summer the number of cases is increasing dramatically. That is why during the diagnosis of the disease the physician should pay attention to its distinct seasonality.

Viral meningitis is as an independent disease, or complication of infectious diseases. Such laboratory analyzes how cultivation and serological tests, allow to establish the exact causative agent of the disease in 30-70% of all cases. Study of cerebrospinal fluid of the patient shows that not less than two-thirds of cases enteroviruses cause viral meningitis.

Causative agents of diseases can also be:

• in 70-80% of cases of ECHO viruses;
• Coxsackie viruses types A and B;
• Epstata Varr virus;
• bunyaviruses;
• HSV type 2;
• mumps virus;
• Togaviridae;
• arenaviruses;
• adenoviruses;
• cytomegalovirus.

All these viruses are resistant to freezing, exposure to 70% alcohol, ether, able to maintain its high activity at room temperature for a couple of days. Such viruses are inactivated only by heating, ultraviolet irradiation, drying, exposure to chlorinated substances and formalin.

Symptoms of viral meningitis in children and adults

Meningitis is characterized by serous viral nature and form an acute course, and often blurred meningeal syndrome. It is considered that the incubation period of the virus enters the meninges until the first signs of disease 2-4 days. However, consider this fact in acute diseases, such as mumps, or latent, such as herpes type 1, it is impossible.

1. When viral meningitis first symptom becomes fever - the temperature exceeds 40 degrees, may begin hallucinations and delusions feverish. In addition, the disease is accompanied by deficit disorder of the gastrointestinal tract - there are severe abdominal pain, vomiting exhausting.
2. On the second day of the third meningeal disease symptoms become prevalent - a severe headache that does not pass from analgesics, lethargy and sleepiness, or, on the contrary, violence and hallucinations. Toddlers and bulging fontanelle pulses. There may be a runny nose and cough. However, symptoms such bright, as in bacterial meningitis, almost never - convulsions and coma in patients with viral meningitis is not recorded.

Typically, viral meningitis occurs in two waves rise symptoms. The first wave starts with a rapid rise in temperature and vomiting, then progresses meningeal syndrome, a week later all of the clinical signs of decay for 2-3 days and breaking out with new force. The total duration of the disease is 14-17 days.

meningeal signs

• The characteristic posture of the patient with a diagnosis of viral meningitis - lying on his side with his head thrown back, legs pulled up to his stomach;
• Symptom Kernig - with bent leg at the hip joint is not possible to straighten it in the knee joint. It is not allowed to make too tight hamstring;
• Brudzinskogo syndrome - when the patient is lying on his back, with the head tilted to his chest his legs involuntarily bend the knees;
• Neck stiffness (excessive stress neck) - supine patient can not touch chin his chest.

Diagnostics

For the diagnosis of viral meningitis are doing a spinal tap to examine the cerebrospinal fluid. When performing the procedure transparent liquid flows under pressure. Immediately after the removal of cerebrospinal fluid to the patient becomes easier. In a large number of punctate determined lymphocyte cells, as well as with a normal amount of sugar increased protein content. The virus in the cerebrospinal fluid can not be detected, it is contained only in the serous membranes. An indirect indication of viral meningitis with a characteristic clinical picture is the absence of bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid, the occurrence of which indicates bacterial meningitis.

Besides:

1. In the clinical analysis of blood revealed leukocytes. In the biochemical analysis of blood, typically, a high content of protein, namely globulin fraction.
2. Can be released from the culture the enteroviruses feces, nasopharyngeal washings, by Aftercrops.

To determine the specific pathogen do serological analysis which identify the genus and class based on RNA virus components (polymerase chain reaction). It is important to exclude specific meningitis.

viral meningitis treatment

Adult viral meningitis is not dangerous. The hospital needs children, pregnant women, the elderly, patients with weak immune systems, that is, all those who have the infection can cause serious complications and be fatal.

With the development of viral meningitis prescribe symptomatic treatment:

1. To reduce the toxicity intravenously administered saline solution, which is added once Prednezolon and vitamin C.
2. For relief of vomiting prescribe drugs based on metoclopramide, such as Reglan.
3. At high temperatures, are shown on the basis of antipyretic paracetamol (Panadol), ibuprofen (Mig, Nurofen).
4. To eliminate the headaches, treatment of intracranial hypertension appoint a lumbar puncture. In addition, to reduce intracranial pressure prescribe diuretics based Furosemide.
5. When attaching shows signs of gastroenteritis dairy diet enzyme preparations.
6. Patients must stay in bed, it is desirable to be in a darkened room.
7. For relief of pain in the abdomen is shown receiving antispasmodics such as Drotaverinum, papaverine.
8. Antibiotics are discharged for the prevention of bacterial complications.

Children appoint more:

1. Antiviral therapy if the disease is caused by herpes simplex virus prescribe Acyclovir if adenosine or enteroviruses, the Arbidol;
2. In convulsions or Seduxen Domosedan;
3. To enhance immunity Interferon immunoglobulin.

Almost all adults who become ill with viral meningitis recover, but some persist headaches, light intellectual disorders, weakness, or ataxia.

With regard to children the prognosis is not so favorable, especially in infants, they may develop serious complications: intellectual disabilities, learning difficulties, deafness and so on.

prevention

Viral meningitis can effectively prevent hygienic measures refusal of bathing in the reservoir, using boiled for drinking water or bottled. For the prevention of infectious diseases in Russia on the calendar is a compulsory vaccination of children against polio, measles and mumps. Vaccinations at the same time protect children from infection complications in the form of viral meningitis. The annual seasonal flu vaccine - is prevention of infection and complications of the disease.

The best method of prevention of bacterial meningitis - is vaccination. According to WHO guidelines against meningococcal immunization is used all people from 1 year to 29 years in the African meningitis belt MenA vaccine.

As a result, we recall, the causative agent of viral meningitis usually detected enterovirus. For positive neurological symptoms is carried out confirm the results of lumbar puncture. During the infection, and a favorable prognosis. For the prevention of diseases is recommended to comply with hygiene rules and to make mandatory vaccination for children against common infections of calendar Russia. Vaccination at the same time prevents a complication of infection with viral meningitis.