- Neuroinfection - a heavy defeat of the nervous system
- Viral diseases
What neuroinfection
Neuroinfection - are infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or protozoa and are characterized by damage to the nervous system, severe and high mortality.
All neuroinfections can be divided into primary, at which the initial nerve damage and secondary infection where the infection enters the nervous system from the other chamber, such as from the ear or sinus.
Neuroinfection can be a complication of some infectious diseases, such as influenza, herpes, tuberculosis
Tuberculosis - a full recovery is not guaranteed
Syphilis
Syphilis - punishment of Venus
and so on.
Acute viral neuroinfection
Acute viral neuroinfection - a group of acute viral disease, similar in its manifestations with polio, but not related to the polio virus. The agents of these diseases is basically a group of enteroviruses (Coxsackie, ECHO, etc.). Neuroinfection can also cause herpes simplex virus
Herpes simplex - in fact, not so simple
Mumps, adenoviruses, and so on.
There are diseases more common in the warmer months, they sometimes appear as small seasonal outbreaks. Anyone can get sick, but more often it is the children there. You can become infected from an infected person or from a virus carrier (which the virus is present in the body without any signs of the disease) through dirty hands, objects used by the patient, as well as by direct contact by droplets (coughing, sneezing, and so on). With all of these infections occur loss of gray matter of the brain and spinal cord, the large motor nerve cells until their death, nodules and foci of inflammation in the brain tissue, an inflammatory reaction in the meninges.
They exhibit such neuroinfection flaccid paresis (temporary immobilization), usually the legs, developing on the background of the general condition is satisfactory. First, it changes the gait of the defeat of the muscles of one leg. The child begins to drag a little leg. When pressed, you can find pain along the nerve trunks, sometimes there are severe pain in the legs
Pain in the legs - from which they arise?
- The child stops walking.
The disease usually is mild, but there are cases, and with the development of severe paralysis. Restoration of disturbed functions usually occurs within one to two months, often preserved muscle weakness.
The diagnosis is confirmed by laboratory tests - reveal the presence of the virus or antibodies to it.
Treatment of such patients should be under medical supervision in an infectious diseases hospital. In the first one or two weeks the patient needs rest, then - dosed physical activity as a therapeutic exercise. Ad Hoc drug therapy does not exist, but are appointed by the medicines that improve the general condition of the patient.
Meningococcal disease
An example of a bacterial neuroinfection be meningococcal infection caused by meningococcus, and is one of the most dangerous infections. Outbreaks of meningococcal disease occur every few years in the autumn-winter period on the background of the high incidence of influenza. The source of infection are sick people and bacilli carrier: the infection is transmitted directly from patients and through the objects they used.
Meningococcal disease can occur easily as the common cold and a little sore throat (such patients are often further bacilli carrier and distributors of infection), but may be difficult - in the form of lightning currents, which often leads to death of the patient within a few hours.
For severe forms of meningococcal disease is characterized by acute onset, fever (in its background are often seizures) and rash of red spots, papules (elevations on the skin), and hemorrhage. Bleeding often foci of necrosis (tissue decay), after which the body can remain scars. These forms, in some cases accompanied by uterine, nasal, gastrointestinal bleeding, bleeding in the retina of the eye. Characteristic lesions of the heart, joints, lungs, liver, kidneys, adrenal glands.
Laboratory tests confirmed the diagnosis: detection of meningococcus in the blood, cerebrospinal fluid or on the mucosa of the nasopharynx, and antibodies to it in the patient's blood.
Severe meningococcal disease is treated only in a hospital. Be sure to prescribe antibiotics at high temperature - antipyretics, in convulsions - anticonvulsants. Sometimes, in order to prevent serious complications are assigned corticosteroids (e.g., prednisolone).
After discharge from the hospital, patients with severe forms of the disease are under medical supervision of a neurologist, during which eliminates the effects of meningococcal infection.
Neuroinfection - it is always dangerous, so if you suspect to any changes in the nervous system is always necessary to call the doctor.
Galina Romanenko