Serous meningitis symptoms. Serous meningitis - symptoms, treatment. Manifestations in children

Meningitis is an inflammatory lesion of the membranes of the central nervous system. This disease is often diagnosed in children aged 3–7 years, as well as in adolescence, and much less often in adults. The disease occurs with various clinical manifestations, which depend on the type of pathology. The classic form of inflammation is purulent, in which the exudate is dominated by dead cellular elements. Such meningitis is caused by infections involving bacterial agents, in particular meningococcus and streptococcus. However, the disease is provoked not only by microbes, but also by viruses. A similar etiology is common in children and leads to the formation of serous inflammation. This exudate is characterized high content protein, especially albumin, and low cell concentration. Unlike the purulent form, the serous form is associated with a milder course and a good prognosis. Signs of serous meningitis vary but are quite specific, making it easy to early diagnosis.

In medicine, it is customary to identify several etiological factors in the development of the disease. The main reasons for its formation are the following:

Viral agents are the most common pathogens that cause symptoms of serous meningitis in children. This extracellular life form is capable of fully existing and reproducing only in the cell of the host organism. This is why diseases of this etiology are so contagious. A child can become infected with serous meningitis by communicating with a sick person, eating poorly peeled vegetables or fruits, and also during the swimming season by swallowing water while swimming. Pathogens that can cause inflammation of the meninges include enteroviruses, herpes, cytomegaloviruses, tick-borne encephalitis and a number of other agents. Children are especially susceptible to such infections due to imperfect immune defense mechanisms.
The bacterial nature of meningitis is characterized by a purulent course. Only some types of microorganisms cause a serous form of inflammation of the cerebral membranes. These include the pathogens of tuberculosis and syphilis. Children rarely suffer from such illnesses due to limited contact with sick people.
Serous meningitis develops not only against the background of viral or bacterial infections. This type inflammatory reaction is also inherent in lesions of the membranes during oncological diseases nervous system, as well as benign neoplasms, among which cysts are common.

Classification by the nature of the pathogen helps clinicians in diagnosing and treating the disease.

Routes of infection and incubation period

Viruses are an extremely mobile form of life. Each pathogen family is characterized by a specific localization. These organisms are tropic, that is, they prefer to live and reproduce in tissues of a certain type. It is with this property that the methods of propagation of pathogens are associated. Infection of a child, as a result of which the baby develops signs of serous meningitis, occurs in one of the following ways:

Airborne - transmitted viruses that spread when an infected person sneezes and coughs. At high concentrations in natural fluids, the release of the pathogen into environment also occurs during breathing. Children become infected through contact with a carrier, as well as when staying in premises where quarantine is established or where sanitization has not been properly carried out.
Contact - implies close interaction of the pathogen with the mucous membranes. This occurs when eating unwashed vegetables and fruits, or not maintaining personal hygiene, since viruses can settle on the skin or surrounding objects.
Aquatic is partly a type of contact, but also involves an alimentary transmission mechanism. Such infection is possible by ingesting water while swimming in a river or lake.
Transmissible - realized in nature with the help of arthropods. Insects and arachnids are carriers of a number of dangerous diseases, including the tick-borne encephalitis virus, which is accompanied by serous meningitis. This method spread of infection is not typical for children, since their contact with vectors is usually limited.

The incubation period of viral diseases ranges from 3–4 hours to 14 days. At this time, no symptoms of damage appear. This is due to the fact that the virus needs to accumulate a certain concentration of antigen in the patient’s body, which can cause the development of an inflammatory reaction.

Symptoms of viral serous meningitis

The clinical manifestation of meningitis in children always begins acutely, with a serious rise in temperature up to 40 degrees. The fever is accompanied by severe headache and arthralgia - unpleasant sensations in the joints. Children cry often and for a long time, blush, and heavy sweating. Serous meningitis is characterized by specific damage to the muscles of the back of the neck, which makes it difficult for the patient to tilt his head forward. Kids take an unnatural pose. Vomiting and loss of coordination occur. With inflammation of various parts of the membranes of the brain, excessive sensitivity to sound, visual and tactile stimuli is formed. In young patients, serous meningitis is accompanied by symptoms of acute respiratory diseases: cough, rhinitis and sneezing. In severe cases of the disease, the development of convulsive phenomena is possible, which is dangerous due to breathing problems.

The consequences of serous meningitis in children can be catastrophic. In infants, when general intoxication develops, sepsis quickly develops, which is difficult to treat with antibiotics. A common complication of inflammation of the cerebral membranes in children is the occurrence of cerebral edema, which requires placement in the intensive care unit.

Viral etiology serous meningitis has one positive feature - its rapid course. Recovery with supportive treatment and the absence of concomitant diseases occurs within 10–12 days, and a decrease in temperature occurs within 3–4 days. This does not mean that children should be treated independently if they develop symptoms characteristic of inflammation of the membranes of the central nervous system. Suspicion of a particular pathology is a reason to apply for medical care, since any infectious diseases at an early age cause serious multiple organ disorders.

Diagnosis and treatment of the disease

A local pediatrician can suspect meningitis in a child, since there are several specific tests to determine the inflammatory processes of the cerebral membranes. Further examination includes checking blood and urine parameters, as well as immunological diagnostics using methods such as polymerase chain reaction and linked immunosorbent assay. Lumbar puncture and further testing of the obtained cerebrospinal fluid samples for the presence of a foreign agent are valuable in detecting meningitis.

Treatment of serous meningitis depends on the etiology of the disease. Unfortunately, at the moment, drug control of viral pathogens is severely limited due to the lack of specific therapy against many agents. An exception is, for example, herpes, which is successfully combated with Acyclovir. In most cases, treatment is carried out with the help of interferons - stimulators of the antiviral immune response. Antibiotics are widely used, since the disease occurs with the addition of secondary and secondary microflora, which can negatively affect the health of the child. General supportive therapy is used in the form of parenteral administration of vitamins, as well as infusions, which normalize the rheological properties of the blood and help cleanse the body of toxic waste products of the pathogen. If complications occur, appropriate remedies are used, for example, diuretics and nootropics.

It is important in the treatment of serous meningitis to prevent the disease from becoming purulent. The abundance of leukocytes and necrotic cells creates a kind of film on the surface of the brain and its membranes, which aggravates the course and negatively affects the prognosis of the disease.

With timely diagnosis and adequate care, serous meningitis is easily treatable. Strict adherence to the doctor’s recommendations leads to a quick recovery.

Prevention of the incidence of serous meningitis in children

Prevention inflammatory diseases the brain and its membranes primarily comes down to maintaining the child’s immunity. Defense mechanisms play an important role in the fight against both viral and bacterial pathogens. Proper and complete feeding is required to support the growing body. essential vitamins and microelements for normal growth and development. Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene is an important condition for the prevention of diseases caused by foreign antigens. Children are only allowed to drink water that has undergone heat treatment. Fruits and vegetables need to be washed thoroughly, or better yet, doused with boiling water. Swimming in bodies of water during meningitis outbreaks is not recommended. Since some viral and bacterial pathogens are characterized by a cycle involving vectors, you should be careful when walking with children in the forest during the active life of ticks and rodents, which are potential carriers of dangerous diseases.

Many diseases leave their mark on a person’s life and health. One of these is serous meningitis. True, the consequences worry the former patient only if the treatment of the disease was started at the wrong time or was carried out unqualifiedly.

Serous meningitis - symptoms and consequences

Signs of this disease There may be, especially in the temporal part, periodically rising and falling body temperature, cramps of the limbs or the whole body, fever, fear of light and noise, vomiting, abdominal pain. With an advanced disease, the patient may experience hallucinations and even paralytic syndrome. The consequences of serous meningitis in adults can be quite serious. But usually this happens in cases where the patient does not seek help from a doctor for a long time.

Diagnosis of meningitis

In order for the doctor to correctly prescribe treatment for serous meningitis and to prevent consequences, it is necessary to diagnose the disease in time. First of all, a puncture is taken from the patient and the cerebrospinal fluid is examined. The fundus of the eye is also examined, an X-ray of the skull, electroencephalography and tomography are done, and blood, urine, and stool tests are taken. Based on the symptoms and results of tests and studies, a diagnosis of meningitis is made and its type is determined.

Consequences after serous meningitis

It is better for you not to know what consequences occur after serous meningitis, and, accordingly, never get sick with this unpleasant disease. But even if this trouble happens to you, then you should not panic, you just need to call ambulance and begin treatment immediately. The sooner help is provided, the greater the chance that the consequences of enteroviral serous meningitis will not appear or they will be minimal.

A patient with meningitis requires mandatory hospitalization; in no case should you be treated at home, because this can lead to death. No traditional medicine! Before the doctor arrives, the patient needs to be kept at rest; a cold wet towel can be placed on the forehead and plenty of fluids can be provided.

The patient is prescribed treatment with antibiotics, diuretics, and infusion therapy. In some cases, individual therapy is prescribed.

If the sick person delays too long and does not seek medical help, if he does not follow the doctor’s orders, then the consequences of serous meningitis can be:

deafness;
blindness;
dysfunction of the speech apparatus;
disruption of brain function;
delayed psychomotor development.

Rare deaths, comas and paralysis have also been described. But when modern treatment these options are practically excluded. In addition, serous meningitis is not as dangerous as, for example, tuberculous meningitis.

Even with favorable treatment, headaches can persist for a long time. If they bother you for more than two months, you need to contact your doctor and, possibly, undergo additional examination or simply get professional recommendations.

Prevention

The most effective protection against meningitis is vaccination. Children and adults are given the vaccine against the bacteria Haemophilus influenzae several times. In addition, when treating colds and infectious diseases, it is very important to follow the doctor’s recommendations, follow-up treatment, and not suffer from diseases on your legs. You should not squeeze various pimples on your neck. To treat sinusitis, it is imperative to go to a clinic. It is not recommended to swim in unknown sources or drink untested water.

Listen to your body, let it rest, take vitamins and don’t get sick!

Serous meningitis is the rapid spread of an inflammatory process in the membranes of the brain, the causative agent of which is fungi, bacteria or viruses.

Moreover, about 80% of clinical cases are associated with an inflammatory process due to viruses. This serious illness mainly affects children up to school age three to six years, also somewhat less frequently, symptoms of serous meningitis are present in schoolchildren and quite rarely in adult patients.

Like meningitis of other origins, serous meningitis has characteristic general symptoms, including repeated vomiting, severe headache and nausea. Distinctive feature The viral origin of the serous type of meningitis is its abrupt onset, with a slight disturbance of consciousness observed, such meningitis proceeds rapidly and has a favorable outcome.

Based on the clinical picture of the disease, PCR results and cerebrospinal fluid analysis data, a diagnosis of serous meningitis is made. Treatment of patients with such meningitis is based on antiviral and symptomatic therapy– antiviral, antipyretic and analgesic drugs. If the etiology of inflammation of the meninges is not clear and the child’s condition worsens, it is necessary to prescribe antibiotics wide range actions in order to influence all possible infectious agents.

Causes of serous meningitis

In most cases, serous meningitis is caused by enteroviruses - Coxsackie viruses, ECHO, less often, the Epstein-Barr virus can act as a cause of serous meningitis ( infectious mononucleosis), measles, herpetic infection, adenoviruses, influenza, cytomegalovirus, mumps virus.

Serous meningitis can be not only viral, but also bacterial (syphilis, tuberculosis), and in some cases fungal. Typically a bacterial infection is meningococcal meningitis(purulent). Serous meningitis is a typically viral variant.

Recently, outbreaks of serous meningitis in children, which is caused by various enteroviruses, have been quite often recorded, so it is important to consider serous viral meningitis, their symptoms and transmission options, as well as treatment in children.

Serous inflammation can provoke cerebral edema. In this case, a violation of the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid occurs, brain swelling causes an increase in intracranial pressure. Unlike purulent meningitis of a bacterial nature, the serous form does not provoke a massive release of neutrophils, brain cells do not die, therefore the viral form of meningitis is less dangerous, has a favorable prognosis and does not provoke serious complications.

Routes of infection, incubation period of serous meningitis

The incubation period in most cases of viral meningitis is 2-4 days. Based on the type of pathogen, the following routes of infection with serous type meningitis are distinguished:

Airborne path.

Serous meningitis is transmitted by airborne droplets when the pathogen is located on the mucous membrane respiratory tract. When sneezing or coughing, infectious agents in the form of an aerosol are released into the air and enter the human body through inhalation of the affected air.

Contact path.

The pathogen is also localized on the mucous membrane of the eye, in the oral cavity and on the surface of wounds and skin; from these areas the infectious agent reaches various objects and settles on them. A healthy person who comes into contact with the skin of a sick person or common objects runs the risk of becoming infected. Therefore, unwashed vegetables and fruits, dirty hands and poor general hygiene are risk factors for infection with serous meningitis.

Water route of infection.

Serous meningitis occurs quite often in the summer. It has been established that some enteroviruses that can cause serous meningitis can be transmitted through water, so it is during the swimming season that outbreaks of serous meningitis are recorded in children who swim in reservoirs with enteroviruses.

The peak incidence of serous meningitis is the summer period of the year; the risk group is the immunoprotected population - children of preschool and primary school age; this group also includes people who are weakened after long-term serious illnesses, and patients with immunodeficiency states. At the same time, the danger is posed not only by those who are already sick, but also by carriers of the meningitis virus.

Symptoms of serous viral meningitis in adults and children

After graduation incubation period pathology manifests itself severe symptoms– meningeal syndrome from the first or second day of the disease.

A mandatory sign of serous type meningitis is fever with an increase in body temperature to 40 degrees, after 3-4 days the temperature may decrease, after which it rises again, thus registering two spikes in temperature. With mild meningitis, fever may not appear.

A painful headache that is constantly present begins at the temples and becomes more pronounced when moving the eyes, exposure to noise and light stimuli. This type of headache is difficult to control with painkillers and antipyretics for children.

Children may experience limb cramps, general irritability, and such children become whiny and capricious.

Characteristic is a state of general weakness, intoxication syndrome, malaise, in which pain in the joints and muscles develops.

Diarrhea, abdominal pain, lack of appetite and nausea with vomiting are signs of serous meningitis.

Often, in addition to meningeal symptoms, children experience signs of ARVI - cough, runny nose, sore throat.

The sensitivity of hearing, eyes, and skin to touch, sudden noise, light and sounds increases. The patient feels much better when he is in a dark, quiet room. In this case, in bed the child takes a forced position with his knees pulled up to his stomach, his arms pressed to his chest and his head thrown back.

In infants, the fontanelles bulge, Lesage's symptom or the hanging symptom develops - when the child is lifted up, he pulls his legs towards his stomach and bends them.

With serous meningitis of viral origin, mild disturbances of consciousness may be present, namely drowsiness and stupor.

Possible damage to the cranial nerves (strabismus, diplopia, difficulty swallowing), and breathing disorders (paresis, paralysis) are also observed.

When examining a child with serous type meningitis, the symptoms are expressed by tension and rigidity of the neck muscle groups, namely, the child cannot bring the chin to the chest. Several meningeal symptoms are also present, including:

Brudzinski's symptom: upper - if, when bending the head, the legs involuntarily bend;

Kernig's symptom is the inability to extend a leg bent at a right angle.

Viral serous meningitis passes quite quickly, by 3-5 days from the onset of the disease the temperature is restored, in rare cases a second wave of fever is possible. The duration of serous meningitis in a child is usually 10 days on average and ranges from 1 to 2 weeks in general.

With the development of severe disorders of consciousness - stupor or coma - the diagnosis must be reconsidered and a re-examination should be carried out.

Symptoms of serous meningitis can vary in severity, in rare cases clinical picture may be combined with generalized lesions of other organs. It should be borne in mind that the symptoms of the serous form of meningitis are very similar to the meningeal form of tick-borne encephalitis, which is seasonal and is more often recorded in the summer, and can affect both children and adults.

Treatment of serous meningitis in children

If you suspect the development of meningitis, you should immediately call an ambulance and hospitalize the sick child. Since the causative agent is most often viruses, the use of antibiotics for serous meningitis is inappropriate. But in some cases they can be prescribed when the diagnosis is uncertain.

In the treatment of viral serous meningitis in children, it is used antivirals– interferon. If meningitis is caused by the herpes virus or Epstein-Barr virus, Acyclovir is prescribed.

Infants and children with weakened immune systems require specific and nonspecific antiviral therapy; intravenous administration of immunoglobulin is required.

Dehydration is the most important measure in the fight against a decrease in intracranial pressure, therefore diuretics are used - Actazolamide, Furosemide, Lasix.

Colloids (albumin, hemodez) are not advisable due to the high risk of developing heart failure.

Antispasmodics are indicated - No-shpa, Drotaverine.

Intravenous administration of isotonic saline solutions is also indicated to reduce the degree of intoxication, to saline solution add ascorbic acid and prednisolone (once).

Reducing intracranial pressure and relieving headaches is possible through therapeutic lumbar punctures.

When body temperature rises above 38 degrees, antipyretic drugs are used - ibuprofen, paracetamol.

If a child develops seizures, domosedan or seduxen are used.

Patients are prescribed bed rest and rest, it is best if the patient is in a darkened room.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed because many forms of meningitis can occur as a serous type, and even in the cerebrospinal fluid there may be signs of serous meningitis. But timely antibacterial treatment helps prevent the development of severe consequences of the bacterial process (hemorrhages in the adrenal glands, cerebral edema).

Part complex therapy serous meningitis should include vitamin therapy, especially vitamin C, B6, B2, carboxylase.

Oxygen therapy is indicated as an auxiliary measure.

Nootropic drugs – Pirocetam, Glycine.

Also other drugs for the treatment of pathologies of the nervous system (succinic acid + riboflavin + nicotinamide + inozyme).

With timely and adequate treatment, serous meningitis in children, unlike purulent meningitis, has a favorable prognosis and rarely causes complications.

Prevention of serous meningitis in children

During outbreaks of serous meningitis, it is not advisable for young children and adolescents to swim in open water.

You should only drink boiled or purified water, especially in the summer.

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and maintain personal hygiene before eating. Wash vegetables and fruits before eating and, if possible, pour boiling water over fruits and berries.

From childhood, teach children to healthy image life, provide the child balanced diet, engage in hardening of the body and sports. It is necessary not to allow the child to spend a long time at the computer or in front of the TV, as this increases visual stress, and therefore puts the body into a stressful state, which reduces immunity. The child should have a full, sound sleep for 10 hours a day, especially appreciated nap, not only for kids, but also for teenagers.

As one of the types of prevention of serous meningitis is to take any viral diseases in children - mumps, measles, chickenpox, ARVI, influenza. It is necessary to minimize the possibility of contact with rodents and ticks, since they are carriers of the virus.

Despite a five-day fever and severe headaches, the prognosis for serous meningitis is favorable, and most children recover fairly quickly.

Serous meningitis is a dangerous disease for human life and health. This is an inflammatory process in the soft membranes of the brain. Unlike other types of meningitis, serous type the inner membranes of the brain are affected. The process of inflammation in the brain can be either secondary or primary. Primary serous meningitis develops due to viruses, and secondary meningitis develops against the background of underlying diseases (tuberculosis, measles). Serous meningitis with improper or untimely treatment can cause quite serious complications for the body, such as hearing loss, epileptic seizures, hydrocephalus, delay in mental development in children.

Serous meningitis has been known to mankind since ancient times; Hippocrates described a similar disease. Avicenna mentioned patients with meningitis in his writings. The first case of tuberculous meningitis was discussed in detail in scientific works by Robert Witt back in the eighteenth century. There was no cure for this disease back then. There have even been cases of epidemic meningitis, for example, a small outbreak of serous meningitis occurred in the nineteenth century, in one of the quarters of Geneva.

Historical data says that over the course of a couple of centuries, serous meningitis broke out in African countries, then in the USA and Europe. At that time, the etiology of the disease was not yet understood, and medications for it were extremely ineffective. Anton Weikselbaum first pointed out the possible causative agent of the disease, namely bacterial infection. Specialists from the Obukhov Hospital carried out a thorough study of the pathogenesis of serous meningitis, and already in the second half of the twentieth century they finally established the etiological connection between adenoviruses, group A viruses and serous meningitis.

How is the disease transmitted?

The causative agents of serous meningitis are considered to be enteroviruses (in the case of the primary picture of the disease). In secondary serous meningitis, the causative agent is the polio and mumps virus. With proper and timely treatment, the disease is benign, which cannot be said about the clinical picture of purulent meningitis. The infection can be acquired from a person who has had serous meningitis, but is nevertheless a carrier. The virus is transmitted through unwashed hands, food, and when using shared items or personal hygiene items. Serous meningitis in adults is milder than in children, but under certain conditions children and adults can become infected in the same way. Transmission is also possible through airborne droplets in places where there are many people. The largest peak in incidence is observed in the summer, which indicates the seasonality of the disease.

Symptoms of meningitis

Serous meningitis, the symptoms of which are quite specific, begins with an acute or subacute course. Why does this depend? First of all, on the etiology of the disease. Is the patient experiencing primary or secondary meningitis?

With primary serous meningitis, it begins:

A sharp rise in temperature, and it can often rise to 40 degrees;
Severe and painful headaches begin, which are paroxysmal in nature;
Diarrhea may occur, stools become liquid, and painful sensations in the intestines;
The patient feels muscle weakness, dizziness, and causeless vomiting.
Sometimes there are convulsions;
In advanced stages, cuts or disruption of brain activity are possible.

Serous meningitis in adults has a unique course. Around the fifth day of the disease, many symptoms disappear and the temperature stabilizes. However, first impressions are deceptive, and, as a rule, a relapse of the disease occurs. With improper treatment, signs appear that indicate damage to the peripheral and central nervous system.

If we talk about the secondary nature of serous meningitis, then it is not acute, but subacute. The flow is smooth, not abrupt. The patient experiences increased fatigue, general weakness, headaches, sweating and sometimes anorexia. The temperature is at a subfebrile level, children who fall ill with the secondary type of serous meningitis are often capricious, refuse to eat, and experience constant feeling fatigue and drowsiness. This course of the disease lasts quite a long time, about three weeks. And it is advisable to consult a doctor as soon as possible if these signs are detected. After a three-week period, irreversible meningeal changes in the body occur, such as Kernig's sign and stiffness of the neck muscles. Vision deteriorates significantly, all objects in the distance are seen indistinctly and blurry, and pain in the eyeballs may begin. With advanced serous meningitis of a secondary nature, almost irreversible changes in the brain occur that are focal in nature. Aphasia sets in, mental activity becomes difficult, and the patient suffers from convulsions and paresis.

Diagnostic methods

U infants One of the meningeal syndromes is considered to be swelling of an unovergrown parietal fontanel. In adult patients, a triad of signs of meningitis is subdivided. These are syndromes of body intoxication, meningeal symptom complex, syndromes of the inflammatory process in the cerebrospinal fluid. Tests for spinal cord puncture are required if serous meningitis is suspected, as the quality and composition of the spinal fluid changes.

The meningcal symptom complex consists of headaches and vomiting, even delirium and hallucinations are possible. Therefore, in addition to spinal cord puncture, an MRI is often prescribed to track the dynamics of the disease and understand whether there is brain damage. Specialists are also forced to take clinical blood samples to assess the overall picture of the body's condition.

Prevention

Serous meningitis is a rather dangerous disease, and the consequences of complications after an illness can make themselves felt throughout a person’s life. Even with a treated disease, the pathogen can remain in the body and cause a relapse of serous meningitis. Therefore it is important to carry out preventive measures preventing infection. If you have young children, carefully monitor what they eat and drink. Do not let your child drink tap water; the water must be boiled or thoroughly filtered.

The highest outbreaks of serous meningitis occur in the summer, therefore wash your hands, don't eat dirty vegetables. It is recommended to wash vegetables in warm running water. Do not buy food secondhand, especially if you are not sure of its quality. It is mandatory to observe the rules of personal hygiene after each trip to the toilet. You must wash your hands thoroughly with soap. If you are traveling or relaxing with children in open water, make sure that your child does not swallow water from a lake or river.

It has been proven that in reservoirs with stagnant water, such as lakes, quarries, and dams, pathogens of serous meningitis may well be present in the summer months.

Play sports, strengthen your health and improve your immunity in order to resist this dangerous disease. At the first suspicion of serous meningitis, immediately contact a qualified doctor for help.

Treatment

The sooner serous meningitis is diagnosed and treated, the greater the chance of successful recovery. In the acute period, treatment of serous meningitis takes place exclusively in a hospital setting under the supervision of the attending physician. The type of treatment, forms and timing depend on the nature and severity of pathological process in the patient's body. Antibacterial therapy is mandatory. The types of antibiotics are selected strictly individually for each patient, because antibiotics are suitable for some people penicillin group, while others have to be prescribed mucolide antibiotics or erythromycins.

When treating young patients, doctors prescribe antiviral drugs such as Abidol or Interferon. If it has been determined that serous meningitis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus or herpes group viruses, then Acyclovir is prescribed. Often patients are admitted to doctors with severely weakened immune systems, and in such cases immunoglobulin is administered intravenously. To reduce headaches and intracranial pressure, diuretics such as Furosemide or Lasix are used. In advanced and severe cases of serous meningitis, saline is administered orally isotonic solutions to reduce the degree of general intoxication of the body (albumin, Hemodez, glucose solution, Ringer). Lumbar punctures of the spine reduce intracranial pressure, A high temperature knocked down with ibuprofen and other antipyretic substances. Also appointed antihistamines, vitamins, a balanced diet and bed rest until complete recovery.

Every person experiences headaches regularly throughout their life. Sometimes it is a consequence of chronic fatigue and goes away after rest, but there are cases in which this symptom indicates serious damage to the nervous system. One of these diseases is serous. This disease occurs in patients of different ages and genders, leading to adverse consequences for the body. That is why it is necessary to know the first signs of the development of the disease and promptly seek help from a specialist.

What is serous meningitis

Serous meningitis is an infection of the brain and spinal cord that is caused by various pathogenic agents. Their role can be bacteria, viruses, fungi and even protozoa. When a microbe enters the patient’s body, it begins to multiply with the formation of a large amount of toxic substances. The spread of infection occurs mainly along the nerve fibers, resulting in damage to the brain and spinal cord.

Meningitis causes swelling of the brain

With serous meningitis, there are no blood or pus in the cerebrospinal fluid, which is typical for other types of this pathology.

Transmission of the disease is carried out mainly by aerogenic means. Particles of saliva and other biological secretions of the patient in the form of droplets hang in the air and are swallowed by a healthy person. A weakened immune system cannot adequately respond to infection, resulting in a clinical picture with general intoxication.

Existing varieties of the disease

Classification of meningitis depending on its origin:

primary (the disease arose independently in an initially healthy body);
secondary (forms against the background of an existing infection and is its complication: tuberculosis, syphilis, HIV).

Varieties of the disease according to the type of pathogen:

Serous meningitis develops against the background of infection with pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses or fungi). In a person with a strong immune system, the disease is mild or does not become infected at all. Factors that increase the likelihood of developing the disease include:

malignant or benign formations of various organs;
colds (flu, ARVI);
infectious pathologies (rubella, scarlet fever, syphilis, HIV, tuberculosis, diphtheria);
inflammatory processes (colitis, enteritis, gastritis, cystitis);
immune deficiencies, primary and secondary;
living in an environmentally unfavorable region with air, water and soil pollution;
work in hazardous enterprises (contact with heavy metals, radiation);
frequent stress;
alcohol and nicotine abuse;
taking narcotic drugs.

Main clinical manifestations of serous meningitis

The incubation period of the pathology ranges from 2 to 12 days. Often the disease develops acutely, with a predominance of symptoms of intoxication and weakening of the body. As it progresses, the patient's condition worsens. The main manifestations of serous meningitis include:

rise in body temperature to 39 degrees;
change in behavior (aggression, inadequate response to external factors);
chills and heavy sweats at night;
the presence of copious mucous discharge from the nose;
the formation of rashes on the skin surrounded by a halo of hemorrhage;
sleep disorders;
excruciating headaches with nausea and vomiting;
photophobia;
hypersensitivity to sound stimuli and smells;
loss of appetite and refusal to eat;
forced position (cocked position);
soreness of the bones of the skull and spine when palpated;
change in pupil size;
violation of orientation in time, space, self;
decreased hearing, vision and smell;
loss of sensation;
increased muscle tone (inability to straighten a limb).

Photo gallery: main symptoms of the disease

Changes in pupil size observed with brain damage Intense headache is the first sign of meningitis The appearance of a rash indicates a generalization of the process

Features of the disease in infants

The course of the pathological process in a child differs significantly from the development of serous meningitis in an adult. Due to the weakness of the immune system, the baby’s body is unable to fully activate defense mechanisms: This is why the disease begins with a pronounced intoxication syndrome. Infants' body temperature rises to 39–40 degrees, they refuse to eat and sleep constantly. Nausea and vomiting may develop, negative reaction into the world in the form of crying. An unfavorable prognostic sign is the formation of febrile seizures - uncoordinated spontaneous twitching of the limbs and head.

Due to dehydration and a deficiency of mineral elements, the baby's large fontanelle, the hole between the bony plates of the skull, sinks. Such a patient must be urgently hospitalized in the intensive care unit.

Recession of the fontanel is a sign of dehydration

Important clinical sign is a symptom of hanging: a newborn baby is taken under the arms and lifted. With the development of meningitis, there is a rise in the flexed knee joints legs to chest.

The hanging symptom is positive in the development of meningitis in an infant

Video: Elena Malysheva talks about the symptoms of the disease

Methods for diagnosing serous meningitis

If infection is suspected, the patient should seek help from a neurologist. To begin with, the doctor conducts a general examination, assessing the person’s condition. Serous meningitis is characterized by an increase in heart rate (tachycardia), an increase blood pressure and body temperature. When you try to lower your chin to your chest, you feel a sharp pain in the neck area. Next, the doctor evaluates the following symptoms:

The leg of the patient lying on his back is bent at the knee and hip joint. If pain is observed when trying to extend and straighten a limb, this indicates a meningeal infection.
The doctor places his hands on the patient's symphysis pubis and applies pressure. Emergence discomfort- a sign of the development of the disease.

Such tests are not 100% informative and are only of an additional nature. In my practice, I had to deal with the fact that a patient also experienced pain when pressing on the symphysis pubis, but it was associated with a recent spinal injury. One of the junior residents regarded this symptom as a sign of meningitis and began specific treatment. This led to the development of gastrointestinal dysbiosis in the victim.

It is necessary to differentiate the disease with the following pathologies:

encephalitis;
traumatic brain injury (hematoma, concussion, hemorrhage);
malignant neoplasm;
cysts and benign tumors.

Methods for diagnosing serous meningitis:

How is serous meningitis treated?

Treatment of the disease is carried out in the neurological department of the hospital. In case of a mild form of the disease without massive damage to the nervous system, the course of treatment takes from 2 to 6 weeks and includes mainly antimicrobial medications; in more severe cases, recovery may take up to a year. Patients are prescribed a special diet high in proteins, vitamins and minerals to restore energy costs. During rehabilitation, physical procedures are actively used, therapeutic exercises and massages: they help achieve the effect even in those patients who long time spent bedridden.

The main goals of treatment for serous meningitis are:

elimination pain syndrome;
prevention of secondary purulent complications;
protecting the brain from the damaging effects of toxins;
strengthening the immune system;
normalization of water-salt balance.

Drug therapy for the disease

All drugs are divided into symptomatic and etiotropic. The former allow you to cope with the clinical manifestations of the disease, and the latter affect the cause that caused it. Almost all medications are prescribed in the form of injections for intravenous and intramuscular injection, as well as in the form of droppers, which facilitates the availability of pharmaceuticals.

Do not forget that serous meningitis can be eliminated only by addressing the cause that caused it. One of the patients in the neurology department at my hospital was hospitalized with serious complications, life-threatening. On the recommendation of one of his friends, he began to take antibacterial drugs on his own, while his meningitis was caused by a virus. As a result of improper therapy, the disease continued to progress, and the man did not go to the hospital. After feeling suffocated and emergency hospitalization, a diagnosis was made and specific treatment began.

Drugs for etiotropic therapy:

Antivirals prevent the growth and development of these pathogens. The most effective medications are Acyclovir, Ganciclovir, Foscarnet, Bonafton, Megosin, Cycloferon, Vidarabine, Remantadine, Viferon, Immunal.
Antibiotics cause the death of various bacteria and speed up their elimination from the body. For this purpose, doctors prescribe Amoxiclav, Augmentin, Carbenicillin, Cephalexin, Keflex, Rocephin, Fortum, Caten, Meronem, Tienam, Primaxin, Tetracycline.
Antituberculosis drugs are used for meningitis of tuberculous etiology. These include Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Saluzide, Pyrazinamide, Ethambutol, Cycloserine, Capreomycin.
Fugaricidal drugs are used if the causative agent of the disease is a fungus. Doctors prescribe Nystatin, Levorin, Griseofulvin, Miconazole, Clotrimazole, Naftifine, Ketoconazole, Nitrofungin, Natamycin.

Photo gallery: medications for etiotropic treatment of serous meningitis

Nystatin causes the death of fungi Amoxiclav inhibits the growth of bacteria Acyclovir destroys viruses

Medicines to eliminate symptoms of the disease:

Detoxification therapy helps restore lost fluids and removes harmful breakdown products from the body. For this purpose, Reabmerin, Glucosolan, Disol, Trisol, Acesol are used.
Diuretics are prescribed to remove excess water from the body and prevent cerebral edema. These include Furosemide, Torasemide, Hydrochlorothiazide, Mannitol, Urea, Lasix, Spironolactone.
Steroid anti-inflammatory drugs reduce the severity of pain and relieve discomfort. For this purpose, Hydrocortisone, Prednisolone, Methylprednisolone, Cortef, Dexamethasone are prescribed.

Photo gallery: medications for symptomatic therapy

Dexamethasone relieves inflammation Furosemide removes excess fluid from the body Reopoliglucin restores water-salt balance

Possible consequences and complications of serous meningitis

Any infection causes significant harm to the body. During their life, microbes release toxins that damage various tissues and cells, which causes the development of secondary complications. Undesirable consequences often occur in vulnerable groups of the population: children, adolescents, pregnant women and the elderly. The likelihood of complications developing is influenced by the patient’s health status, his weight, the duration of therapy, and the patient’s compliance with the doctor’s recommendations.

Diabetes mellitus significantly complicates the treatment of serous meningitis. With this violation metabolic processes accumulates in the body a large number of glucose, which damages the wall of blood vessels. They become more brittle and fragile, and the patient develops a tendency to form blood clots. In my practice, I met a man whose background diabetes mellitus Serous meningitis was treated. The patient had to significantly reduce weight and constantly monitor his diet to avoid complications.

Undesirable consequences of serous meningitis include:

Paralysis and paresis of the upper and lower limbs. If during an illness the nerve plexuses of the spinal cord and parts of the brain are affected, the conduction of impulses to the tissues is disrupted. The patient loses the ability to control his arms and legs, and the sensitivity of the limbs decreases. Damage facial nerve leads to drooping of the eyelid, raising of the corner of the mouth and the formation of various grimaces. Rehabilitation period and restoration of functions takes from six months to several years.
Hydrocephalus is the accumulation of fluid in the ventricles of the brain. Due to inflammatory edema, the choroid plexus begins to produce a large amount of cerebrospinal fluid, which is not excreted. The patient's head becomes enlarged and deformed, and he experiences severe pain. To treat this complication, surgery is used to install a shunt that drains fluid into the natural cavities of the body.
Damage to sensory organs. Often, patients with serous meningitis have decreased hearing and sharply decreased visual acuity. This is directly related to the effect of microbes and their toxins on the nerves of the same name.

Photo gallery: possible complications of serous meningitis

Facial paralysis leads to the formation of grimaces Deafness due to meningitis is predominantly irreversible Hydrocephalus is the accumulation of fluid in the ventricles of the brain

How to protect yourself from developing the disease

Prevention of infections and their complications is one of the most important tasks of domestic medicine. To this end, doctors regularly develop plans to vaccinate the population and conduct lectures and seminars on serous meningitis and its consequences. Patients can receive complete and detailed information about the disease, as well as choose the optimal method of protection for themselves.

During my internship in one of the foreign hospitals, I happened to find myself in the midst of a meningitis epidemic. 40% of the patients were infected, as a result of which the medical facility had to be closed for quarantine. For the purpose of prevention, all students, residents, doctors and nurses were vaccinated against meningococcal infection to reduce the risk of infection. As a result of the implementation of measures to treat sick patients and compliance with the rules of asepsis and antisepsis, it was possible to prevent a re-outbreak of the pathology. Within a week, the medical staff of the clinic completely eliminated the consequences of the disease.

The rules for individual prevention of serous meningitis include:

use only natural products without adding harmful chemical additives, flavor enhancers and dyes;
drink more fluids;
give up alcohol, smoking and drugs;
accept medicines only as prescribed by a doctor (especially cytostatics, antibiotics and hormones);
dress according to weather conditions and do not get too cold;
maintain a rational work and rest schedule;
study sports loads and lead an active lifestyle;
Donate blood, urine and feces for evaluation once every six months general condition body;
come on in medical examinations from a therapist or pediatrician;
perform all vaccinations according to the vaccination calendar (in the absence of any contraindications);
strengthen your immune system: hardening and vitamins will help you with this;
When the first symptoms of the disease appear, try to immediately consult a doctor;
If you have been in contact with a patient suffering from meningitis, consult an infectious disease specialist.

Mening is an extremely dangerous pathology that poses a threat to the life and health of every person. Without timely treatment the illness may end fatal. The disease is prone to recurrence in patients with weakened immune systems: this is why doctors advise following the rules of prevention throughout life.