Brain infections, classification and symptoms

We generally talk about infection when we refer to wounds. However, it is difficult for us to imagine that these infections can be transferred to our nervous system…

When we think about infections, we don’t usually think about brain infections. It is easy to imagine an infection anywhere in the body, but not in the recesses of our brain. Infection, understood as the invasion and proliferation of pathogenic agents, is also present in the nervous system..

An infection occurs when the body is invaded by a disease-producing microorganism. The main infectious agents are viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Brain infections usually originate from an external source, such as the ears, nose or throat (among others)..

Types of brain infections

Depending on the affected area, the infection can be meningitis (meninges) or encephalitis (rest of the brain). Meningeal infections cause confusion, fever, nausea, neck stiffness, headache and photophobia.

In turn, encephalitis produces the same symptoms as meningitis and many others that will depend on the affected nerve area. Finally, infections can be classified as: viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic..

Viral infections

Neurotropic viruses have a special affinity for the nervous system, such as the viruses that cause rabies and polio. The susceptibility of the nervous system to the virus will depend on the presence of specific receptors on the membrane.

A virus is an aggregate encapsulated in nucleic acid. Depending on where you stay, they can lead to encephalitis or meningitis.

Bacterial infections

Perhaps one of the most aggressive brain infections. Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that mainly cause meningitis. This disease can lead to brain abscesses which produce pus and the death of cells in the affected region..

Fungal infections

Fungal infections are the product of a fungus that enters the nervous system. Usually, our nervous system is protected against these threats, but the cessation of these defenses due to an illness can leave the way clear for these infections.

Parasitic infections

Parasites are organisms that live at the expense of another (host). They can arise from infection in another part of the body and are generally associated with symptoms of fever, general malaise and hypotension. Clear examples include malaria, amoebas and cysticercus..

Diagnosis

As we already mentioned, most infections of the nervous system are secondary to infections of other parts of the body. The most common symptoms at a general level are:

Headache.Fever.Vertigo.Nausea.Seizures.

On the other hand, at a neuropsychological level, the symptoms vary depending on the type of infection and the area of the nervous system affected. The following neuropsychological symptoms can generally be identified:

Acute confusional syndrome. Temporo-spatial disorientation. Attentional defects. Memory failures. Motor agitation.

Detection mechanisms used

Early diagnosis is vital as symptoms can escalate to brain damage in a very short time.either. The doctor usually performs an exploratory study based on the patient’s history and recent activity. Later they will be used more specific methods:

neurological examination. Tests designed to evaluate sensory and motor functions. Hearing, speech, and coordination or balance (among others) are examined. Tests of strength and reflexes are also essential to determine the origin of the symptoms.Laboratory analysis. Urine and blood tests are usually the most used due to their effectiveness in detecting antibodies or foreign proteins. In a normal situation these components should not be there, their appearance is a reaction of the body to an infectious invasion.Cerebrospinal fluid analysis. This fluid that surrounds and protects both the brain and the spinal cord is useful in detecting infections, chronic inflammations and other diseases in general.Neuroimaging Techniques. These techniques are useful in detecting signs of inflammation and bleeding in the brain. Examples are computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and electroencephalogram.

Treatment of brain infections

Like the diagnosis, the treatment will depend on the affected area. These diseases are difficult to treat and in most cases irreversible. Symptoms are generally allowed to pass and standardized protocols are applied depending on the type of infection.

For example, When the infection is bacterial, the corresponding antibiotics are applied to alleviate symptoms and try to reverse the disease.

The most common infections

Among the most common nervous system infections we can highlight two: meningitis and encephalitis. These are characterized by inflammation of the brain or spinal cord, causing fever, headache, seizures and in many cases death.

Meningitis. The meninges are the membranes of bone tissue that surround the brain and spinal cord.. Frequently, the infection begins bacterially or virally. Haemophilus meningitis is the most common and mainly affects young children. Thanks to the implementation of the vaccine against this disease in the first years of life, the fatal risk has decreased substantially.Encephalitis. Encephalitis consists solely of inflammation of the brain, mainly due to bacterial or viral causes.. Encephalitis can be primary, caused by a direct viral infection. In turn, it can also be secondary, due to previous complications. Finally, it is called focal when the affected area is specific and diffuse when it affects several areas.

Conclusions: current state of infections

Given the incidence of nervous system infections in the general population, research has focused on their prevention. This prevention is carried out mainly at the level of quick and effective vaccines and action protocols.