The clinical profile of the patient with bacterial meningitis: a neurological approach

Abstract

Objective: To describe the main considerations about bacterial meningitis and the patient's clinical profile. Bibliographic review: Meningitis is meningeal inflammation caused by various pathogens. Bacterial meningitis originates from bacterial colonization in the airways, with Neisseria meningitidis being the most common. The organism fights inflammation, but the high virulence of the pathogen and immunosuppression generates inflammation of the meninges and the individual will manifest fever, associated with headache, prostration, nausea, vomiting, hyporexia, neck stiffness, myalgia, agitation, photophobia and with intense synthesis of selectins, lesions occur in the endothelium of the blood-brain barrier that result in vasogenic cerebral edema, loss of cerebrovascular autoregulation, triggering in localized areas of cerebral ischemia, cytotoxic injury and neuronal apoptosis. Generally, the patient has the classic triad, composed of the toxemic syndrome, meningeal irritation and intracranial hypertension, but there are cases that did not present any symptoms, so its absence does not exclude the diagnosis. Being a condition that requires early diagnosis and treatment to avoid injuries. Final considerations: Meningitis is a public health problem that, due to inflammation, triggers an exuberant clinical picture and symptomatological manifestations that compromise the life of the affected person, which must be diagnosed and properly treated.