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Spinal Meningitis Can Affect the Spine: What to Know

Spinal Meningitis Can Affect the Spine: What to Know

by | Spinal Hygiene

Spinal meningitis does not just affect the brain. Most think of meningitis as a brain disease, but it can also affect the spine. We will discuss learning how to recognize it and find the right treatment to fix it within the spinal cord. Spinal meningitis can be a potentially deadly infection of the meninges. This is the protective tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord.

It can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi that are transmitted from person to person by sneezing, talking, and sharing food. Viruses and pathogens that cause other infections, like the mumps and measles, can also cause meningitis. The lining around the brain and the spine are connected, which means that infection can travel from one area to another, or remain in the brain or the spine.

 

11860 Vista Del Sol, Ste. 128 Spinal Meningitis Can Affect the Spine: What to Know

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The Meninges

Meninges are the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. They are made up of three layers:

  • Dura mater is the thick and tough outer layer
  • Arachnoid mater is the middle layer made up of strands of connective tissue
  • Pia mater is the inner layer of cells

Spinal meningitis can develop when a virus, bacteria, or pathogen invade the meninges layers. This causes the immune system to react trying to remove the invading bacteria etc, which causes inflammation. These organisms usually take up residence in the nose and throat and never cause problems. Most individuals that come into contact with these viruses never get sick.

The reason for this is because the body produces fighting antibodies before the pathogens can invade the meninges. Others, possibly from age or underlying conditions, where they are not able to produce enough or any antibodies, makes them vulnerable to the illness. When the brain and spine’s tissue/s get infected with any one of these pathogens, the tissue swells, which constricts proper blood flow to the brain.

Types of Spinal Meningitis

The most common types of spinal meningitis in the United States include:

Viral meningitis

Viral meningitis is caused by enteroviruses, which are common viruses that enter the body through the mouth and travel to the brain and tissues where multiplication ensues. There are other viruses that can also cause meningitis. These include:

  • Viruses that cause mumps
  • Herpesviruses – like Epstein-Barr, measles, influenza, West Nile
  • Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus from rodents

Any of these viruses can spread to the meninges, causing spinal meningitis to develop. This is a less severe type than bacterial meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis

This is the type where dangerous bacteria invade the meninges. Individuals are at higher risk as this type can be fatal if not treated. Common types of bacterial meningitis include:

  • Pneumococcal meningitis – is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumonia and is the most common form of bacterial meningitis.
  • Meningococcal meningitis – also known as meningococcal disease, is a less common type. This type is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitides. Around 2,600 people in the U.S. are affected yearly.
11860 Vista Del Sol, Ste. 128 Spinal Meningitis Can Affect the Spine: What to Know
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Symptoms

Viral or bacterial spinal meningitis can cause a range of symptoms, including:

  • Neck and back stiffness
  • Muscle weakness
  • Headache
  • Drowsiness
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Double vision
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Hearing difficulty
  • Confusion
  • Seizures
  • Rash

Symptoms are often far more pronounced with the bacterial form. This is because it�s associated with more inflammation, compared to the viral type.

Complications

Depending on the type whether viral or bacterial the results can be serious, leading to:

  • Permanent brain damage
  • Permanent organ damage
  • Stroke
  • Loss of hearing
  • Loss of limbs
  • Death

Anyone who experiences symptoms of meningitis should see a doctor immediately for diagnosis and treatment options.

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Risk for Spinal Meningitis

Getting spinal meningitis depends on various factors like:

  • Age
  • Immune system status
  • If the individual lives in a group environment
  • Children younger than five
  • Individuals with weakened immune systems from taking medication/s for other conditions
  • Recent organ/bone marrow transplants
  • Babies younger than 1-month-old along with weakened immune systems are more likely to experience severe illness

These are factors that could increase the risk of viral meningitis. Fortunately, most cases are not serious and in children’s cases, most recover in one to two weeks. Meningitis can also occur very rarely after spine surgery where the lining around the dura is torn with an infection happening at the same time.

Diagnosis

Detecting spinal meningitis a doctor will utilize:

  • Blood tests
  • Imaging tests
  • Spinal tap to test the cerebrospinal fluid which surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
  • The fluid is collected and sent to a lab, where it is analyzed for bacteria or viruses.

Treatment

Antiviral medication can help with certain types of viral meningitis with other meds for treating meningitis symptoms. Doctors recommend bed rest, proper fluids, and medication for fever relief and headache relief. This is for viral meningitis.

Antibiotic medications can treat bacterial spinal meningitis. It is commonly treated with intravenous antibiotics in a hospital setting. Unfortunately, around ten percent of children with bacterial meningitis die from it yearly. Even with immediate antibiotic treatment a child’s body can become overwhelmed by the bacteria/organism. The Meningococcus bacteria can create a toxin that invades the blood. This can be fatal for a child or adolescent within hours. This is why it�s highly recommended to prevent bacterial meningitis than to treat it once it’s active.

Contagious

Proper hygiene like hand washing, not sharing food, beverages, utensils, or body care products like lip salve/balm can help stop the spread of bacterial and viral meningitis.

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Dr. Alex Jimenez�s Blog Post Disclaimer

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, and sensitive health issues and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support directly or indirectly our clinical scope of practice.*

Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation as to how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900. The provider(s) Licensed in Texas& New Mexico*

Antibiotics Resistance To Bacteria

Antibiotics Resistance To Bacteria

by | El Paso Chiropractic News, Health, Health News El Paso, Wellness

Antibiotics have long been used to treat infection and illness. While they can be effective, there is a down side. Antibiotics can have some unpleasant side effects. What�s more, bacteria can become resistant. The more you take the less effective they can be, making the healing process much more difficult. It isn�t smart to depend on antibiotic for ultimate health. The better route is to take a more holistic approach by incorporating chiropractic, nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyle changes.

What Are Antibiotics?

Since the discovery of penicillin in the 1920s, antibiotics have been used to treat illness and infection. They have become a major component in American medicine. However, few people know exactly what they are or how they work.

They are medications that are used in the prevention and treatment of infections such as pneumonia, kidney infection, or an abscessed tooth. They are a type of antimicrobial drug and are not effective against viruses like the flu or a cold. As medicine has made significant advances in treating some of the worst and even deadly illnesses in the world, more are being developed to better target specific bacteria.

How Do Antibiotics Work?

Different antibiotics work in different ways on the cells that they seek out. Cells in the human body have some similarities to bacteria. Antibiotics affect those properties in bacteria that are different from human cells.

For instance, many strains of bacteria have cell walls while human cells do not. Penicillin prevents the bacteria it attacks from building those cell walls. Other antibiotics use other differences such as how they copy DNA or build proteins or dissolve bacteria cell membranes. The effects that antibiotics have on bacteria are intended to keep it from replicating and kill it.

Do Antibiotics Only Affect The �Bad� Bacteria?

Unfortunately, antibiotics can�t always distinguish between �bad� and �good� bacteria. This means that while they attack the harmful bacteria that is making you sick, they also attack the resident, helpful bacteria.

The �good� bacteria, or friendly bacteria, keeps you healthy in a variety of ways. It protects you from certain illnesses and keeps your body functioning at an optimal level. When you no longer have that friendly bacteria in your body, you lose out on the health boosting benefits that they offer. What�s more, when you lose the friendly bacteria it leaves room for certain other harmful bacteria to come in.

antibiotics and bacteria resistance el paso tx.

How Do Bacteria Become Resistant To Antibiotics?

When these medications are misused it can result in the emergence of bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics. There are several ways that they can be used inappropriately. They are only meant to be taken for a limited time, usually five or ten days. When they are taken longer than that or when several rounds are taken back to back, that qualifies as misuse. It can also occur when antibiotics are taken for viruses or other purposes for which they are not intended.

What Happens When Bacteria Become Resistant To Antibiotics?

Bacteria has a very strong ability to adapt to environments in order to survive. It can evolve and change as their environment becomes uninhabitable, such as with increasingly higher antibiotic doses. As bacteria is exposed to antibiotics it will make adjustments, adapting to them, even thriving.

Scientists from Harvard Medical School and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology teamed up to create a device that allows them to observe how bacteria react as they become immune to these medications. They also created a video that explains the display and how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. It is alarmingly simple and fairly fast.

The bottom line here is that while these medications may be beneficial in certain situations, they should be used as rarely as possible and usually as a last resort. There are many lifestyle changes that a person can make that can help them stay healthy and prevent illness so that they have no need for these medications.

A healthy diet, regular exercise, proper food handling and preparation, adequate sleep, regular chiropractic treatments, and eliminating unhealthy activities like smoking and alcohol consumption can all lead to better health and fewer illnesses. It is much easier and less expensive to prevent illness than it is to treat it.

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