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The Best Ways to Treat Meningitis

It is import to first screen the condition. Carrying a meningitis diagnose help a physician learn the severity of the disease and recommend a treatment accordingly. Therefore, one comes to a treatment, it is essential to first report the nature of the disease experienced by a patient.

Let us know about the diagnosis before studying the options for treatment for meningitis.

How to diagnose meningitis

There are many ways by which meningitis is diagnosed. For the purpose, one can make visit to their family doctor or pediatrics. The condition is diagnosed on the basis of patient’s medical history. It first requires a physical examination of the patient who also has to go under certain diagnostic tests. Examination if disease may involve doctor looking for signs of infection around ears, head, throat and skin of sufferer alongside spine. Following diagnostic tests help diagnose meningitis.

Blood cultures

Blood samples are put on a dish specially designed for the purpose. The sample is observed for the growth of microorganisms, specifically bacteria. A blood sample can also be placed on a slide and Gram’s stain. Later, it is studied under microscope for the presence of bacteria.

Imaging

Computerized tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance (MR) scams of parts of head may reveal swelling or inflammation. An X-ray or CT scans of chest and sinuses may reveal presence of an infection in other parts of the body that may be linked to meningitis.

Spinal tap

It is also called lumbar puncture. It is a definitive diagnose for this condition. One needs a spinal tap if you want to collect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In people those suffering from meningitis the CSF show low levels of sugar with a increase white blood cell and increased level of protein.

CSF analysis may assist doctors to identify the bacterium that is caused by meningitis. In case, your doctor suspects any viral meningitis, he will ask you to undergo a DNA-based test that is also known as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification or to test checking antibodies against certain viruses to determine the specific cause and proper treatment.

How to treat meningitis?

Treatment for meningitis is always determined on the basis of the type of meningitis is suffering from. There are mainly three category of meningitis. They all require different treatment.

Bacterial meningitis

Treatment for Bacterial meningitis should be treated immediately using intravenous antibiotics. These days, corticosteroids are most often recommended. This helps make sure the recovery and help lower the risk of any kind of complications such as seizures and brain swelling.

The antibiotics and combination of antibiotics rely on the type of bacteria that cause infection. There are doctors that can ask you to go for a broad-spectrum of antibiotics. This is done he or she can determine the exact reason behind meningitis.

A physician observing or treating your condition is likely to drain any infected sinuses and mastoids. There are bones that are behind the outer ear that are connected to the middle ear.

Viral meningitis

There are antibiotics that can’t cure viral meningitis. In majority of cases, the condition can cure for itself over several weeks. There are treatments available for mild viral meningitis. They include drinking enough water, rest and taking medications to relive pain. This as a result help treat fever and body pain. Your doctor may recommend you certain corticosteroids to relive swelling in the brain. He may also recommend an anticonvulsant medication to manage seizures. If it is herpes virus caused by meningitis is your concern, then there are antiviral medication available as a solution.

More types of meningitis

There are many other types of meningitis. In case the cause of a meningitis condition is not revealed, a doctor proceeds with antiviral and antibiotic treatment till the time the types of meningitis is determined.

There is even chronic meningitis that is based on the many underlining cause. Antifungal medications treat fungal meningitis and there are other antibiotics that can treat tuberculous meningitis. But, these medications can have side effects that can be serious. Therefore, a treatment can only be decides if there is a laboratory test to confirm the cause is fungal infection. Treatment of the condition depends on underlying cause.

There is also a form of noninfectious meningitis. This occurs with allergic reaction or any autoimmune disease. This can be treated with corticosteroids. There are some cases where there is no need of a treatment. This is because the condition can get better on its own. If it is cancer related meningitis, it requires going under therapies that are for individual cancer.

In all, people who suffer from meningitis require staying at hospital for tests and treatment for meningitis. There are several test needed to be carried out to diagnose the condition and determine the cause and type of the condition. The test also determines whether a person is patient of viral, bacterial or chronic meningitis.

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