What is the difference between meningitis and encephalitis

There are certain differences between meningitis and encephalitis. For example, encephalitis refers to inflammation of the brain caused by microorganisms, while meningitis is a phenomenon of brain inflammation. The cause of infection is generally bacteria or viruses, which often causes patients to experience fever, decreased appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, stiff neck and other symptoms. At this time, you must go to the hospital for regular examination in time to avoid causing greater harm.

What is the difference between meningitis and encephalitis

1. Encephalitis

Encephalitis refers to inflammation of the brain parenchyma caused by pathogenic microorganisms. However, since the brain tissue also produces the same pathological changes as encephalitis due to a variety of other causes (such as poisoning, allergic reactions, etc.), such as degeneration and necrosis of nerve cells, glial cell proliferation, and demyelination of nerve fibers, it is difficult to distinguish them clinically. Therefore, the concept and scope of encephalitis have been quite vague for a long time. There is currently a trend to call diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms encephalitis and diseases caused by non-pathogenic microorganisms encephalopathy. The classification of encephalitis is also very confusing, and there are many classification methods. For example, according to the cause of the disease, it can be divided into viral, bacterial, spirochete, fungal, protozoal and other encephalitis; according to the course of the disease, it can be divided into acute, subacute and chronic.

2. Meningitis

Meningitis is an inflammation of the brain. The meninges are the thin membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. This meninges has three layers. The first layer is the outer membrane, called the dura mater, which is connected to the skull; the second layer is the arachnoid membrane; the last layer is the innermost layer, called the pia mater, which is attached to the brain. Infection of these membranes is usually caused by invasion of bacteria or viruses.

There are several ways that infection can reach the meninges. For example, the infection may come from another part of the body, such as the lungs, that is infected. Spread through the bloodstream. They can also spread from infected ears or sinuses through spaces in the skull and into the brain. If you have a head injury and there is a crack in the skull, infection can easily enter the brain. There are many forms of meningitis and varying degrees of inflammation. This mostly depends on which microorganisms or viruses are causing the disease.