Quix, A question for you!

[santana8]

Quix, I was wondering if you knew the answer to this question?  Could meningitis of any type show up as white matter lesions? If so would they look the similar to MS lesions. And if a person did have meningitis would it still show up on spinal tap eight months after the onset, or would it be cleared out of the spinal fluid by then? I had a lot of symptoms consistant with meningitis at onset including stiff neck, but since I didn't get the spinal tap or blood test for eight months I don' know if it would still be there. These are questions that I have had for two years but whenever I asked my neuro he just says that the spinal tap didn't show meningitis at the time I had it. I just thought maybe you might know something about this.

Santana

[santana8]

I didn't know that encephalitis and meningitis could possibly come together. Does one of them typically proceed the other or cause the other?

Santana

[Quixotic1]

No, meningitis alone should not cause white matter lesions.  By definition it is an infection of the meninges, the membranes that surrounf the outside of the brain and cord.  If the meningitis was also accompanied by an encephalitis, like ADEM, yes it could and does often leave lesions.

Back to meningitis.  Whether there would be evidence eight months later depends on the type of meningitis.  A simple viral infection would likely have completely cleared.  But, 9 months later, if there was still signs on LP, I would worry about there being an "ongoing" infection.

The signs of meningitis on an LP are, elevated protein, sometimes low glucose, and the presence of more than a couple white cells.  From 10 or 20 to many thousands in the really bad ones.  So, I would believe the neuro if he says there was no sign.  Meningitis is one of the things that is checked for in all spinal taps.  

Hope this helps.  I see you have learned to only ask me things I know the answer to, lol.  I had to teach that lesson to someone recently.

Quix