Meningnitis

Meningitis is sometimes difficult to detect in infants and small children because its

classic symptoms may be subtle or absent. A baby cannot tell you that he or she has a headache,

so doctors must be veryobservant in order to properly diagnose what is wrong. A baby with

meningitis may display imitability, lack of appetite, and or vomiting. at any age, seizures may

resuit as the disease progresses, followed by coma and death.

Meningnitis can orginate from manydifferentcauses, including viral, fungal, bacterial,

parasitic, cancerous, andchemical.

One of the most common, but least dangerous, forms of meninggitis viral meningitis.

Viral meningitis will normally clear up by itself without complications. Viral meningitis is

sometimes called aseptic menin gitis when doctors attempt but fail to produce a positive

identification of the underlying virus. Nearly every aseptic meningitis is caused by a virus.

Many different viruses can cause meningitis, including herpes simplex types 1 and 2

mumps, influenza, Epstein-Barr, measles, rubella, and polio, among others. The most common

causes of viral meninggitis are enteroviruses. These viruses normally live in the intestines.

Enteroviruses like coxsackie and echovins are often the cause of viral meningitis. Since

many people who have it do not get sick enough to seek medical attention, it is difficult to

know how widespread viral meningitis might be.Statistics are only availabie for the cases

severe enough to repuire hospitalization.

In populations where vaccinations are common, some of these causes of meningitis are

rare. In the United States, for instance, meningitis from the mumps would be extremely unusual.

However, in

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