Meningitis is a condition that causes inflammation and swelling in the lining of the brain and spinal cord. This swelling from meningitis can harm or destroy nerve cells and cause bleeding in the brain.
The
causes of spinal meningitis are most often a bacterial or viral infection. Most often, the body's immune system is able to contain and defeat an infection. But if the infection passes into the bloodstream and then into the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, it can affect the nerves and travel to the brain and/or surrounding membranes, causing inflammation. These infections are known as
bacterial meningitis and
viral meningitis, respectively.
Meningitis also may be caused by:
- A fungal infection
- A reaction to certain medications or medical treatments
- An inflammatory disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus)
- Some types of cancer
- A traumatic injury to the head or spine.
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