Why Meningitis?

As a Senior in High School, I remember anxiously sitting in a cold, clean room at the doctor's office.  I was waiting to receive what seemed like to be a million required immunizations before I was allowed to even set foot on the University of Washington campus.  When I thought all decisions had been made, the nurse threw a ringer in the plans.  She handed me a small book filled with vivid images of lives destroyed by Meningitis.  She told me that the vaccine was optional, but highly recommended for my age group.  It did not take me 30 seconds to decide that I wanted the vaccine.  And for those of you who don't know me, I despise shots.  I had only ever heard of Meningitis, and obviously knew it was bad by the images I had just seen. However, I did not know anything else about it…

To get a better understanding of what this disease is about, it is best to understand the anatomy of the area surrounding the brain.  We all know that the brain is this big, pink, squishy mass that sits up in our skull and controls our vital functions of life.  However, the brain is protected from the outside world by multiple layers.  The most outer protection is the skin.  Underneath the skin is the hard, bony skull.  Then, the brain is essentially wrapped in three linings.  The outermost layer that is closest to the skull is called the Dura Mater.  The middle layer is called the Arachnoid.  And the layer that is stuck to the surface of the brain is called the Pia Mater.  Between the Pia Mater and the Arachnoid is a space called the Subarachnoid (sub= below) space.  In this space flows a fluid (cerebrospinal fluid or CSF) that nourishes the brain and is continuous with the spinal cord.  A good way to remember the three layers is that it is the PAD to the brain- Pia; Arachnoid; Dura.  The three layers (Dura Mater, Arachnoid, and Pia Matter) are collectively known as the Meninges (McCaffrey, P., 2014).  Below, I have attached a simplified picture of these layers for a better understanding!

http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_17_3_1.htm

In the medical field, the word you read, can often tell you the entire meaning of the condition.  The ending of a word that ends in “-itis” means “inflammation.”  Therefore, the meaning of the disease Meningitis, means “inflammation of the meninges.” Inflammation in any part of the body is a redness, swelling and heat of a specific area and is often caused by injury or infection.  Well what causes this you ask? And the answer is many things! However in the case of Meningococcal Meningitis, it is specifically caused by an infection which I will discuss in week three of my blog! 

NEXT WEEK:

I will discuss the epidemiology of Meningitis! Epidemiology tells us more about how many are affected, who is affected, and where are people most commonly affected!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ferincola, P. (2005). Concussion: When the Skull Isn't Enough Protection. Retrieved from http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_17_3_1.htm

McCaffrey, P. (2014) Neuroanatomy of Speech, Swallowing, and Language. The Meninges and Cerebrospinal Fluid. Retrieved from http://www.csuchico.edu/~pmccaffrey//syllabi/CMSD%20320/362unit3.html