Meningitis Case Study

Meningitis is an infection involving the pia mater, arachnoid, and subarachnoid space, as well as the cerebrospinal fluid of the brain and spinal cord. The pia matter is the innermost membrane enveloping the brain and spinal cord, followed by the arachnoid membrane, which is separated from the pia matter by the subarachnoid space. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a colorless fluid found in the brain and spine. It is produced in the choroid plexuses of the ventricles of the brain and acts as a cushion or buffer for the brain's cortex. CSF provides basic mechanical and immunological protection to the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis is spread rapidly throughout the central nervous system as a direct result of circulating CSF. Meningitis can be acute or …show more content…
In the case of meningitis the infectious organism must overcome the body’s nonspecific and specific defenses that are in place such as, the skin barrier, blood-brain barrier, nonspecific inflammatory response and the specific immune system response (LeMone, 1498). When an infection of the CSF and meninges occurs it causes an inflammatory response in the pia and arachnoid matter. The meninges and subarachnoid space cover the brain and spinal cord therefore, any infection will ultimately reach both areas causing wide spread infection. Infected blood vessels become inflamed and begin to leak fluids as surrounding cell permeability increases. This leads to purulent exudate infiltrating cranial nerve sheaths and blocking the choroid plexus and subarachnoid villi that surround the brain. As a result, intracranial pressure (ICP) increases drastically. Without a regulation of normal ICP cerebral perfusion is decreased and auto-regulation, which is vital for survival, is lost. Bacterial meningitis, which is the less common of the two types, is a medical emergency and interventions must be taken quickly to preserve brain function and host