Meningitis: MedlinePlus

Meningitis: MedlinePlus

 

A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

Meningitis

Also called: Spinal meningitis 

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Meningitis is inflammation of the thin tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges. There are several types of meningitis. The most common is viral meningitis, which you get when a virus enters the body through the nose or mouth and travels to the brain. Bacterial meningitis is rare, but can be deadly. It usually starts with bacteria that cause a cold-like infection. It can block blood vessels in the brain and lead to stroke and brain damage. It can also harm other organs. Pneumococcal infections and meningococcal infections can cause bacterial meningitis.
Anyone can get meningitis, but it is more common in people whose bodies have trouble fighting infections. Meningitis can progress rapidly. You should seek medical care quickly if you have

• A sudden fever
• A severe headache
• A stiff neck

Early treatment can help prevent serious problems, including death. Vaccines can prevent some of the bacterial infections that cause meningitis. Parents of adolescents and students living in college dorms should talk to a doctor about the vaccination.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA  

• Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) collection
• Cerebrospinal fluid culture
• CSF analysis
• CSF cell count
• CSF smear
• Meningitis
• Meningitis - cryptococcal
• Meningitis - gram-negative
• Meningitis - H. influenzae
• Meningitis - meningococcal
• 
  

  

Related Topics

• Encephalitis
• Haemophilus Infections
• Meningococcal Infections
• Pneumococcal Infections
• Brain and Nerves
• Infections

National Institutes of Health

• The primary NIH organization for research on Meningitis is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Languages

• Arabic (العربية)
• Armenian (Հայերեն)
• Bosnian (Bosanski)
• Chinese - Traditional (繁體中文)
• Farsi (فارسی)
• French (français)
• Haitian Creole (Kreyol)
• Hindi (हिन्दी)
• Hmong (Hmoob)
• Japanese (日本語)
• Khmer (Khmer)
• Korean (한국어)
• Laotian (Lao)
• Romanian (Română)
• Russian (Русский)
• Samoan (Gagana Samoa)
• Somali (af Soomaali)
• Spanish (español)
• Tagalog (Tagalog)
• Thai (ภาษาไทย)
• Turkish (Türkçe)
• Ukrainian (Українська)
• Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)

Start Here

• Meningitis(Patient Education Institute)
• Also available in Spanish
• Meningitis and Encephalitis(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Also available in Spanish  

• Overviews

  • JAMA Patient Page: Meningitis(American Medical Association) - PDF
  • Meningitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Meningitis and Encephalitis(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary

• Diagnosis/Symptoms

  • Blood Culture Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
  • Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap) (For Parents)(Nemours Foundation)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Rapid Test Detects Viral Meningitis(Food and Drug Administration)
  • Ultrasound: Head (For Parents)(Nemours Foundation)

• Prevention/Screening

  • Haemophilus Influenzae Type b (Hib) Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
  • Meningococcal Vaccination(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Meningococcal Vaccines(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV23)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Use of Vaccines to Prevent Meningitis in Persons with Cochlear Implants(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Specific Conditions

  • Acute Bacterial Meningitis(Merck & Co., Inc.)
  • Arachnoiditis(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary
  • Bacterial Meningitis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Chronic Meningitis(Merck & Co., Inc.)
  • Cryptococcal Meningitis(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Fungal Meningitis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Non-Infectious Meningitis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Parasitic Meningitis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Viral Meningitis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Return to top

• Related Issues

  • Meningitis Myths and Facts for Consumers(National Foundation for Infectious Diseases)
  • Meningococcal Disease: Health Information for International Travel(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Return to top

• Pictures & Photographs

  • Meningococcal Photos(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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• Tutorials

  • Meningitis(Patient Education Institute)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Return to top

• Clinical Trials

  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Meningitis(National Institutes of Health)
  • Return to top

• Research

  • Treating Meningitis(American Academy of Neurology) - PDF
  • Return to top

• Journal Articles

  References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
  • Article: Cryptococcal meningitis in an HIV-1-infected person: relapses or IRIS? Case...
  • Article: Recurrent meningitis--a review of current literature.
  • Article: Cryptococcal meningitis: improving access to essential antifungal medicines in resource-poor...
  • Meningitis -- see more articles
  • Return to top

• Organizations

  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Return to top

• Children

  • Meningitis(Nemours Foundation)
  • Meningitis (for Parents)(Nemours Foundation)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningitis Mutants(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Risk of Bacterial Meningitis in Children with Cochlear Implants(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Return to top

• Teenagers

  • Meningitis(Nemours Foundation)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningococcal Vaccine: A Guide for Teens(Children's Hospital Boston)
  • Return to top

• Women

  • Meningococcal Disease (Bacterial Meningitis) Vaccine and Pregnancy(Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF
  • Return to top

• Patient Handouts

  • Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) collection
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningitis
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningitis - cryptococcal
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningitis - gram-negative
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningitis - H. influenzae
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningitis - meningococcal
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningitis - pneumococcal
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningitis - staphylococcal
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningitis - tuberculous
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Meningococcal Vaccines(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV23)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Syphilitic aseptic meningitis
  • Also available in Spanish