What is the best way to treat meningitis?

Meningitis often occurs in children and the elderly. Since children and the elderly have poor resistance, special attention should be paid during treatment. In the early stages of treatment, the type of meningitis should be confirmed first. If high fever persists, the patient should be cooled down in time, and targeted treatment should be given according to the patient's symptoms to control the patient's condition.

Meningitis is an infection of the delicate membranes of the brain or spinal cord. The disease is often complicated by a bacterial or viral infection of any part of the body, such as an ear, sinus, or upper respiratory tract infection. Bacterial meningitis is a particularly serious illness that requires prompt treatment. If not treated promptly, it may cause permanent brain damage. Viral meningitis is more serious, but most people can recover completely, while a few have sequelae.

Use antibiotics that can better penetrate the blood-brain barrier, such as penicillin 6 million to 8 million U and sulfadiazine sodium 4 to 6 g, intravenously. Radical exploration of the mastoid should be performed to remove cholesteatoma, granulation tissue and dead bone, and to scrape and seal fistulas and congenital fissures that invade the skull. At present, spinal injection is rarely used because the drug concentration is very low and drug reactions are often caused by its use. Generally, the single dose of penicillin should not exceed 10,000 U. Brain abscesses often occur during the meningitis period, with an incidence of 2% to 7%. Therefore, after the symptoms of meningitis disappear, space-occupying signs will reappear. Therefore, whether meningitis is truly cured must be strictly examined.

Cerebrospinal fluid review and CT brain scan can be used to rule out the possibility of brain abscess, and close follow-up should be carried out after discharge. Before the advent of antibiotics, otogenic meningitis had a high mortality rate. Since the advent of sulfa drugs and antibiotics, the mortality rate has dropped from 90% to below 5%. Nowadays, most deaths are caused by misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment or complications of brain abscess.