MENINGITIS - QUIZ

Dear nurses,

Would you like to quiz yourself on this topic?

What is Meningitis?
Meningitis is the inflammation of the meningeal coverings of the brain.

What causes meningitis?
Meningitis may be cause by a virus, bacteria, fungi, tumors or chemical
irritants. Treatment will be directed at the cause.

What are the meningeal coverings?
The meningeal coverings are three protective coverings around the brain.
From inside out:
Pia mater is the inner most layer and is in direct contact with the brain.
It has many tiny blood vessels and also connective tissue.
Arachnoid mater is the middle layer and does not contain blood vessels.
Dura mater is the tough outermost layer.

What are signs and symptoms of meningitis?
There are some very classic signs and symptoms of meningitis.
They include:
- severe headache, nuchal rigidity
- fever
- photophobia
- difficulty extending the leg at the knee
* there is a risk for seizures


Brudzinski's and Kernig's signs, what do they mean?
These two signs are significant for the patient with meningitis. 

Brudzinski's sign- when the examiner flexes the patient's neck
the knees and hips flex at the same time.

Kernig's signs - inability to straighten the leg when the hip is 
flexed at a 90 degree angle. The hamstring muscles become very 
stiff.

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