posted
Can you have just meningitis or meningitis lyme? Or are they two seperate things? A good friend of mine has a daughter in teh hospital with meningitis and I just want to make sure that they are dealing with the correct thing.
thanks
Posts: 59 | From U.S. | Registered: Oct 2007
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PEDIATRICS Vol. 103 No. 5 May 1999, pp. 957-960 Characterization of Lyme Meningitis and Comparison With Viral Meningitis in Children
Received Aug 10, 1998; accepted Nov 11, 1998. Stephen C. Eppes*, Dagger , David K. Nelson�, Linda L. Lewis*, Dagger , and Joel D. Klein*, Dagger
From the * Division of Infectious Diseases, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware; the Dagger Department of Pediatrics, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the � Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC.
Objectives. The objectives of this study were to characterize Lyme meningitis (LM) in the pediatric population; to compare LM with viral meningitis (VM) with respect to epidemiology, history and physical examination, and laboratory data; and to provide means of early distinction of Lyme neuroborreliosis from other forms of aseptic meningitis.
Methods. This retrospective analysis involved children admitted to Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children between 1990 and 1996 whose discharge diagnoses indicated viral or aseptic meningitis or Lyme disease. LM was defined as the presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis with positive Lyme serology and/or erythema migrans. Patients were considered to have VM if they exhibited CSF pleocytosis and had a positive viral culture. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected for each patient, and patients with LM were compared with age-matched patients with VM.
Results. Of 179 patient records, 12 patients with LM and 10 patients with VM (all, >2 years old) were identified by using the above criteria. In comparing LM patients with VM patients, we noted no differences among demographic variables. Children with LM had significantly lower temperatures at the time of presentation. The presence of headache, neck pain, and malaise was similar for the two groups, but the duration of these symptoms was significantly longer among LM patients. Five children with LM had cranial neuropathies. All but 1 LM patient exhibited either papilledema, erythema migrans, or cranial neuropathy. These three findings were absent in the VM group. On CSF analysis, LM patients had fewer white blood cells (mean, 80/mm3 versus 301/mm3) and a significantly greater percentage of mononuclear cells than the VM patients.
Conclusions. In this study, in a Lyme-endemic area, LM was about as common as VM in older children who were hospitalized with aseptic meningitis. Attention to pertinent epidemiologic and historical data, along with physical and CSF findings, allows early differentiation of LM from VM. Key words: Lyme disease, aseptic meningitis, viral meningitis, meningitis, cerebrospinal fluid.
-------------------- My biofilm film: www.whyamistillsick.com 2004 Mycoplasma Pneumonia 2006 Positive after 2 years of hell 2006-08 Marshall Protocol. Killed many bug species 2009 - Beating candida, doing better Lahey Clinic in Mass: what a racquet! Posts: 830 | From Mass. | Registered: Aug 2006
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Can someone explain the results of the study. my brain is like a blank sheet of paper today, even though stuff like that is over my head most days now anyways... Depressing.
Posts: 59 | From U.S. | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
I am having trouble reading studies lately too, but I just got another bout of meningitis, had it back in 2005 and 2004 when i first got very ill, so i know a little about it
they all present with a stiff sore neck, fever, sometimes flu-like symptoms and neurological dysfunction, which is stroke-like symptoms (cranial nerve palsy, facial palsy, eye, ear problems)
bacterial meningitis is the very severe one with the high fever that is deadly and contagious. aseptic meningitis is non-bacterial, such as viral, and is less severe, with lower grade fever, less severe symptoms
even tho lyme is a bacteria, it could present like the viral or "aseptic" meningitis with the less severe symptoms. but the problem is is does not resolve in 7-10 days like the viral one. so to me, that is one way to know you have it, if you dont get better in a couple weeks.
theres also possibility of fungal meningitis, which they do not count as "aseptic" but its not bacterial. it is very severe, like the bacterial, but it needs different treatment. so if you have bacterial and do not get better on antibiotics, you might have fungal. its very rare.
aseptic can also cover meningitis caused by medicines or poisons and i think its called drug induced meningitis or chemical meningitis. i dont know if theres treatment for it other than stop the offending drug
meningitis can also become chronic but doctors will not tell you this.
Posts: 615 | From maryland | Registered: Oct 2007
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tickled1
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So what is the treatment for bacterial meningitis caused by Lyme?
Posts: 2541 | From Northeast | Registered: Jan 2008
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minnie, not exactly. what I menat to say is that if you have meningitis, how to tell if its bacterial or viral, or lyme meningitis
not everyone with lyme gets lyme meningitis. lyme meningitis is worse than just lyme, it means it is in the central nervous system. some people have lyme, buts its not hit their brain yet.
another way to tell is they do a spinal tap, but its very invasive and very risky. they usually only do it when they suspect bacterial meningitis
Posts: 615 | From maryland | Registered: Oct 2007
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quote:Originally posted by laura j: So what is the treatment for bacterial meningitis caused by Lyme?
I would like to know that myself since I an pretty sure I have it. Right now I am on orals.
Posts: 615 | From maryland | Registered: Oct 2007
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If a person had lyme meningitis do you think they would be more prone to emotional and mental issues? This young lady seems to have lots of issues..
Would the hospital be able to tell if it was definately just meningitis through the spinal test you mentioned? Is that hte only way to rule out lyme meningitis?
Posts: 59 | From U.S. | Registered: Oct 2007
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the pain in the head and neck from meningitis can get excrutiating. I had a headache for three months the second time. yes, this can cause someone to be very irritable and therefore have emotional issues.
any kind of pain endured for extended periods of times can cause irritability. when babies get cranky, colic, this is how we tell if they are sick, since they cant talk.
for some strange reason, when adults become irritable, instead of assuming they must be sick or in pain, we put a psych label on them and pump them full of psych drugs.
Posts: 615 | From maryland | Registered: Oct 2007
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tickled1
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so is lyme meningitis life threatening? or am i ok as long as i'm on some kind of treatment for lyme?
i get terrible pressure in my head and a stiff neck.
Posts: 2541 | From Northeast | Registered: Jan 2008
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It depends on how bad you have it. I've had it nearly constantly for more than a year and I'm still here. Posts: 526 | From NJ | Registered: May 2007
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Laura, I had terrible head/neck pain/pressure for a year straight. It was becoming unbearable. Thankfully I finally got diagnosed and the pain went away afer a month on abx.
Posts: 370 | From NJ | Registered: Dec 2007
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