Diseases Of The Nervous System - Infectious Diseases Of The Nervous System

Video: Diseases Of The Nervous System - Infectious Diseases Of The Nervous System

2023 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:52

Infectious diseases of the nervous system

What are infectious diseases of the nervous system?

Infectious diseases of the nervous system are extremely common and dangerous for humans. They are caused by various protozoa, bacteria, viruses and fungi. The infection can develop as a result of the entry of the pathogen directly into the nervous system, and after other past diseases.

Infectious lesions of the nervous system develop when a virus or other pathogen converges with a nerve cell, but these changes are usually reversible under the influence of the body's biological defenses. Otherwise, the circulation of blood and cerebrospinal fluid is disturbed, metabolic processes in the brain tissue undergo pathological changes and cerebral edema develops.

Common symptoms of an infectious brain injury are headache, dizziness, seizures, vomiting, disturbances and loss of consciousness. Depending on which part of the nervous system is affected, focal symptoms also differ.

Infectious diseases of the nervous system can proceed in different ways. Sometimes they pass with lightning speed, leading to death within a few hours of the disease. But most often the course of the disease has three stages: acute, restorative and residual (stage of consequences). Sometimes the disease can be chronic, protracted.

Infectious diseases of the nervous system often lead to the most dangerous consequences, among which are persistent disorders of intellect, vision, hearing, touch and speech.

Types of diseases of the nervous system

Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain that can be viral, fungal and parasitic. Also, encephalitis is divided into primary and secondary. Primary develops due to the pathogenic action of neurotropic viruses that penetrate directly into the cells of the nervous system and destroy them. These include tick-borne and mosquito encephalitis, as well as encephalitis caused by the herpes virus or enteroviruses.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. It can be primary (the meninges become inflamed by themselves) and secondary (arise as a complication of any other diseases: inflammation of the middle ear, tuberculosis, head trauma, etc.) Their course and symptoms often depend on the nature of the pathogen, the age of the sick person and protective strength of his body. Meningitis has the following main symptoms: severe headache, vomiting, special posture (drooping of the head), etc.

Arachnoiditis is an inflammatory, non-suppurative lesion of the arachnoid membrane of the brain or spinal cord. In the subarachnoid space, adhesions are formed that disrupt the movement of cerebrospinal fluid, as a result of which intracranial pressure increases. This disease of the nervous system most often occurs as a complication of various infections (measles, scarlet fever, mumps, inflammation of the middle ear or paranasal sinuses), but it can develop on its own (primary viral arachnoiditis).

Arachnoiditis has an acute onset. Symptoms resemble meningitis: high body temperature, vomiting, dizziness, severe headache.

Poliomyelitis is an acute infection that affects the nervous system. The disease primarily affects children and is spread by airborne droplets or oral-fecal routes. The multiplication of the virus in the body occurs in the nasopharynx or intestines, from where the blood carries the infection throughout the human body, causing symptoms characteristic of many infections (fever, headache, digestive upset).

Also, among other infectious diseases that affect the nervous system, shingles, cytomegalovirus, Coxsackie virus, mononucleosis, toxoplasmosis, rabies, syphilis, etc. are distinguished.

Infectious diseases of the nervous system are dangerous in their consequences, because they affect the sense organs, intellect, affect the emotional-volitional sphere and the motor apparatus. Their treatment often requires long-term work with defectologists, psychologists, psychiatrists and neuropathologists.