How is fungal meningitis diagnosed?

Ah, meningitis. The word alone can make someone cringe with fear. And fungal meningitis? Well, that just sounds like a whole new level of not-fun. But fear not (or maybe do fear a little bit), because in this article we’re going to dive into how fungal meningitis is diagnosed.

What Exactly Is Fungal Meningitis?

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s take a moment to talk about what fungal meningitis actually is. Basically, it’s an inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect your brain and spinal cord caused by a fungus (cue shuddering). It’s usually contracted through inhaling contaminated dust or soil particles, but there have been cases where it was spread through contact with contaminated medical equipment (double cue shuddering).

Symptoms of fungal meningitis can include fever, headache, nausea/vomiting, sensitivity to light or sound (you know those days when everything hurts and noise makes you want to crawl under the covers forever? That’s what having fungal meningitis feels like), confusion/disorientation (oh great…I wasn’t sure where I was half the time anyway…now people are going to think I’m EXTRA weird), seizures (because why not add some extra excitement to my life while my brain slowly inflames and kills me off??!!) among other things.

Needless to say – if you suspect you have any type of meningitis happening up in your noggin – seek medical attention ASAP!

Getting a Diagnosis

Okay okay okay….moving swiftly along before our anxieties get away from us (deep breaths). So how does one go about getting properly diagnosed for this particularly nasty variety of bacterial infection?

First steps first: Make an appointment with your doctor! They’ll likely begin by doing the usual questions about symptoms (like what symptoms you’re experiencing, how long you’ve been feeling them, etc.), as well as looking into your medical history (you know that time in third grade when you ate a whole pack of pixie sticks and then threw up for three days straight? Yeah…that might be relevant here).

From there, they may move on to some other diagnostic techniques:

Blood Test

A blood test can help reveal if there are any particular indicators that would point towards an infection being fungal meningitis. Testing will usually assess elements such as low glucose levels (a sign of inflammation around the brain), increased white blood cell count (which could indicate an immune response to an invasive agent like fungi), and other markers for inflammation.

MRI or CT Scan

An image taken via MRI or CT scan could potentially reveal signs of inflammation happening within your skull/usual areas where fluid has built up (fingers crossed they don’t find anything). These images can give doctors a visual idea of potential swelling/inflammation and can determine whether or not further tests should be run/whether treatment needs to begin right away.

Lumbar Puncture/Spinal Tap

Ah yes….everyone’s favorite kind of diagnostic: The lumbar puncture (insert ominous music). Or known otherwise colloquially as ‘the spinal tap’. This test involves placing a hollow needle between two vertebrae in your lower back causing cerebrospinal fluid(clear liquid surrounding the brain)-aka CSF -to leak out. Not exactly something anyone looks forward to…

But fear not! This quite unpleasant exam is one way doctors can verify if fungus is present in said CSF indicating the presence of fungal meningitis. If that CSF gets cloudy & denatured proteins detected from it this hints at potential fungal activity too.

Treatment Options!

Believe it or not folks – once diagnosed – even fungal meningitis is one of those things that can be treated! (cue collective phew! sound)

Antifungal Medication

The most common treatment option for said fungal meningitis involves..wait for it.. antifungal medication (that’s right: we attempt to kill the little buggers off). Your specific course of medication will depend on a variety of factors; which fungi caused the infection, how severe your symptoms are, what other conditions you’re dealing with.

Sometimes multiple medications will need to be administered at once – or over a longer period of time. These all must be tailored as per their side effects too. But in many cases…it works!

Inpatient Treatment

Depending on how severe your symptoms are/what kind of fungal cause there is, they might admit you as an inpatient and give IV antibiotics direct into bloodstream instead- usually via PICC line-a semi-permanent catheter(unfortunately this can take days…sometimes weeks).

Surgery

In very rare circumstances-suppose there’s an abscesses forming within skull-surgery done to remove part/all caused illness tissue before giving anti-fungals directly(standard meds/tools not able to pass through barrier created by inflammation) .

All don’t want is another pesky diagnosis added or even worse die from such infections .But, Please remain aware and try prevention proactively:

Avoid Direct Contact

Ensure potential exposure areas soil,dirt/mold etcetra & avoid going exceedingly close.

Sanitize Medical Equipment Properly

To reduce risk while getting medical services anywhere ensure equipments,surfaces where patient has been should always sanitize properly.

Take Precautions if You Have Weaker Immune Systems

In case if someone have week immune system(treatments ongoing/comorbidities etc)its important maintain preventions more still,try avoiding large crowds if possible,taking extra care hygiene etc.

Avoid Funnels While Gardening!

Well it’s obvious but in case of patio game designed during pandemic times too -anything that involves activity outside ensure taking proper precautions!

Bottom Line

So, we hope this article gave you a good idea of one serious type of meningitis and its diagnosis/treatment possibilities (ugh…anyone else feel like they need a nap after reading all that?). The best prevention will always be being aware and candid with your medical professional about any concerns/ issues. Even sunshine looks brighter once troubles fade-off,dosent it ?

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