Pathophysiology of Meningitis and Encephalitis Essay -- Biology Medica

Pathophysiology of Meningitis and EncephalitisMeningitis and encephalitis are two similar infections of the fundamental nervous system that often lead to fatality of the host organism. two diseases occur when pathogens enter the blood stream and gain access into the interchange nervous system. Stimulating inflammation within the cranial cavity, the pathogens continue to cipher and take harmful effects on the host. Inflammation, the bodys resolution to infection, ultimately coiffes all of the symptoms and complications of meningitis and encephalitis. The pathophysiology of meningitis and encephalitis aids in the explanation and understanding of the symptoms, effects, and underlying agendas of the two infections.Meningitis is the inflammation of the meninges, membranes that encase the brain and spinal cord. Although meningitis laughingstock result from protozoal or fungal infections, bacteria and viruses typically sheath the often fatal disease. Known for its sudden onset of f lu-like symptoms, the infection quick progresses into an agonizing cascade of high fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, purpura (dark discolorations of the skin caused by bleeding beneath the skin), and possibly seizures. In severe cases of meningitis, limbs or extremities must(prenominal) be amputated due to the appearance of purpura.viral meningitis, the most common stimulate of the disease, often resolves itself without treatment within a few days. However, bacterial meningitis, somewhat rare in the United States but rampant in western hemisphere Africa, requires immediate attention in order to prevent fatality. The bacteria that cause meningitis include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Listeria monocytogenes. The severity of the body... ...ia Britannica Online. 20 July2006 .Meningitis. Wikipedia The open Encyclopedia. 20 July 2006. MediaWiki. 21 July2006 .Patel, Mahesh R. Herpes Encephalitis. E Medicine. 2006. H ealth on the lettuce Foundation.24 July 2006 .Phillips, Elizabeth J. and Andrew E. Simor. Bacterial Meningitis in Children and Adults. Postgraduate Medicine Online. 1998. 23 July 2006 .Photobia. Wikipedia The warrant Encyclopedia. 20 July 2006. MediaWiki. 21 July2006 .Sande, Merle A., Arnold L. Smith, and Richard K. Root. Bacterial Meningitis. New YorkChurchill Livingstone, 1985.6Viral Encephalitis. Better Health Channel. 2005. State Government Victoria. 23 July2006 .7