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Easy, Step-by-Step Guides to Mosquito Control both at Home and on the Road!Simply put, encephalitis is inflammation of the brain. It can occur at any age, usually as the result of a viral infection. A related disease is meningitis, the inflammation of the meninges. The meninges (plural of meninx) are the three membranes that envelop and protect the brain and spinal cord. There are two main forms of encephalitis, acute viral encephalitis (AVE) and post-infectious encephalitis. The former involves direct infection from viruses in the brain. In the latter form, a viral infection elsewhere in the body results in a misplaced immune attack against the brain. Diagnosis is difficult, as the range of possible symptoms can vary widely and mimic those of other diseases. Symptoms Typically, encephalitis at its onset feels much like the common cold or flu. Sufferers report headaches or other flu-like symptoms. The disease may follow infection elsewhere, in which case the symptoms of the initial infection often eclipse encephalitic manifestations. For example, the patient may have lowered blood pressure or other circulatory disruptions, fever, headache, depression, even delirium. Later symptoms are more jarring, as they indicate reduced or altered consciousness. Typically the victim feels drowsy or confused. He or she may find it difficult to speak or control physical movement. Neck stiffness, aversion to bright lights, and changes in sense perception may be noted, and the victim’s friends or family often notice unusual behavior. Fits or seizures may follow, even coma. All of these are signs that the brain is under viral attack. The illness is potentially fatal. Indeed, encephalitis has a high mortality rate as compared to other infectious diseases.
Once encephalitic symptoms are noted, the patient is usually given a CT (computerized tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scan to show how widely the inflammation has spread. These devices take a series of X-ray images of the brain which allow it to be displayed in virtual slices or three-dimensional volumes. The patient should also be tested with an EEG (electroencephalogram) monitor to find any unusual brain activity. A lumbar puncture, or sample from the spaces between vertebrae at the bottom of the spinal cord, is used to hunt for pathogens in the cerebrospinal fluid. For more information on brain scanning, consult the Brain and Spine Foundation website at BrainAndSpine.org.uk. Because of drowsiness in advanced sufferers, encephalitis is sometimes referred to as “sleeping sickness” by the popular press. This is a false designation. The disease more properly called sleeping sickness is not encephalitis lethargica, but African trypanosomiasis, a serious parasitic ailment transmitted by tsetse fly.
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