Bacterial Meningitis and Its Difference from Viral Meningitis
Bacterial meningitis is a severe and life-threatening type of meningitis. Meningitis is a condition where there is inflammation of the membranes (meninges) that surround and protect your spinal cord. An infection of the fluid surrounding your spinal cord and brain is usually what causes this inflammation. Anyone experiencing symptoms of meningitis should seek medical care immediately. Bacterial meningitis can lead to death within hours.
Both bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis cause inflammation of your meninges. Viral infections cause viral meningitis while bacterial infections cause bacterial meningitis. Viral meningitis is more common, but is not as serious as bacterial meningitis.
Bacterial meningitis can cause the tissue around one’s brain to swell. This in turn can interfere with blood flow and can result in paralysis, stroke and even death.