Cerebral Inflammation Flashcards
What is meningitis?
inflammation of the meninges caused by viral or bacterial infection
What is encephalitis?
inflammation of the brain caused by infection or autoimmune mechanisms
What is cerebral vasculitis?
inflammation of blood vessel walls (sometimes called angiitis)
No neurone is how far from a capillary?
100µm from a capillary, CNS densely vascularised
What are the blood brain barrier capillaries like?
BBB capillaries have extensive tight junctions at the endothelial cell-cell contacts, massively reducing solute and fluid leak across the capillary wall
What does the tightness of the BBB mean?
- solutes that can exchange across peripheral capillaries cannot cross the BBB
- allows the BBB to control the exchange of these substances using specific membrane transporters to transport into and out of the CNS (influx and efflux transporters)
- Blood-borne infectious agents have reduced entry into CNS tissue
What are the symptoms of encephalitis?
- Initially symptoms are flu-like with pyrexia (high body temperature) and headache
- Subsequently, within hours, days or weeks:
1. confusion or disorientation
2. seizures or fits
3. changes in personality and behaviour
4. difficulty speaking
5. weakness or loss of movement
6. loss of consciousness
What are the viral causes of encephalitis?
- Herpes Simplex
- Measles
- Varicella (chickenpox)
- Rubella (German measles)
What are the other causes of encephalitis?
- Mosquito, tick and other insect bites
- Bacterial and fungal infections
- Trauma
- Autoimmune
What are the. treatments for encephalitis?
- Treatment depends onthe underlyingcause, but may include:
1. Antivirals e.g. acyclovir
2. Steroids
3. Antibiotics/antifungals
4. Analgesics
5. Anti-convulsants
6. Ventilation
What is multiple sclerosis?
- Autoimmune demylienating disease of the CNS
- Relapses linked to inflammatory activity
- Progression linked to neurodegeneration
- Can affect white matter randomly in CNS (hence why symptoms change)
- Amount and location of damage to nervous system is different in each person with. MS
- Leptomeningeal inflammation as well
What is the cellular pathology. of multiple sclerosis?
- Inflammation
- Demyelination
- Axonal loss
- Neurodegeneration
What is the impact of meningitis?
- Irritation, inflammation and swelling of the meninges
- 6th most common infectious disease killer
- Affects more than 5 million people per annum worldwide
- Leaves 1 in 5 of the infected people with an impairment
What are the bacterial causes of meningitis?
- Meningococcal – the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in UK
- Pneumococcal
- Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib)
- Streptococccal – the main cause in newborn babies
What are the other causes of meningitis?
- Viral - very rarely life-threatening
* Fungal
