Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0085437 (bacterial meningitis)
 4,038 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The objective of this study was to review magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with vascular involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) associated with systemic diseases. We reviewed the MRI findings in clinically suspected cases of vascular involvement of the CNS associated with systemic diseases. Vascular CNS involvement was considered in the presence of characteristic clinical, MRI and/or MR angiography findings. In order to be included in the study, patients needed to have a complete clinical and laboratory investigation and a follow-up of a minimum of 6 months. Twenty-four patients (17 women and 7 men), with mean age of 29.5 years had diagnosis of CNS vasculitis and were included. The clinical presentation was variable, but the most common complaints were headache in 18, focal deficits in 9, disturbances of consciousness in 9, and seizures in 8 patients. Underlying causes for CNS vasculitis were identified in all patients and included systemic lupus erythematosus in eight, tuberculosis in three, bacterial meningitis in three, Takayasu arteritis in two, polyarteritis nodosa in two, syphilis in two, drug abuse in two, yellow fever in one and varicella in one patient. Nonspecific high intensity T2WI/FLAIR lesions in white matter were the most common finding, present in ten patients. Eight patients had infarctions in large cerebral arteries territory, associated or not with high intensity T2WI/FLAIR small foci. Vascular involvement of the CNS can be found in a great variety of systemic diseases, including rheumatologic, infectious and drug abuse. Clinical findings are unspecific and MRI/MRA may help to establish the correct diagnosis.
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PMID:Vascular involvement of the central nervous system and systemic diseases: etiologies and MRI findings. 1865 Nov 46

Meningitis and encephalitis are medical emergencies. Patients need prompt evaluation and immediate empiric therapy to reduce the likelihood of fatal outcomes and chronic neurological sequelae. Conjugate bacterial vaccines have significantly reduced the incidence of bacterial meningitis, especially in children. As the results of changes in patterns of bacterial drug sensitivity, ceftriaxone is now part of the recommended empiric treatment for bacterial meningitis and should be administered as early as possible. Neuroimaging delays the treatment of meningitis and is not needed in most cases. Adjunctive corticosteroid therapy is of benefit for many patients with meningitis and should be initiated in most adults before antibiotic therapy. Molecular testing can assist the specific diagnosis of encephalitis and should be based on the exposure history and geographic risk factors relevant to the patient, but non-infectious causes of encephalitis are also common. Empiric therapy for encephalitis should be directed at the most frequently identified infectious pathogen, herpes simplex virus type 1 (ie, intravenous aciclovir). Vaccines can protect against the major pathogens of childhood infections (measles, mumps, rubella, polio, varicella viruses), influenza viruses, and exotic pathogens that cause meningitis and encephalitis (rabies, Japanese encephalitis, dengue, yellow fever, tick-borne encephalitis viruses, Mycobacterium tuberculosis).
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PMID:Community-acquired acute meningitis and encephalitis: a narrative review. 3030