There are various causes of meningitis. There are infectious causes and non infectious causes of this disease. Some of the non infectious causes or risk factors of meningitis are malignancies, certain kinds of medication, toxins, rheumatoid arthritis, polyarteritis nodosa, sarcoidosis and SLE and other such systemic diseases.



Causes of meningitis
This kind of meningitis where non infectious agents cause the disease is termed as sterile meningitis due to the isolated presence of nomicro organism in the spinal fluid. Meningitis can be caused by fungi, virus and bacteria. When doctors try to start treatment of meningitis, they have to correctly isolate and identify the cause or source of the infection.


Viral meningitis is more common than bacterial meningitis, but the latter is more deadly and accounts for only 10% of the cases and can result in severe disability thanks to a messed up brain and brain injury in 1 out of 7 survivors.


Causes of bacterial meningitis
Streptococcus pneumoniae or neisseria meningitides has been isolated as one of the leading risk factors of this lethal disease – bacterial meningitis and is confirmed by the occurrence of millions of ear infections every year.


In case of newborns, who are infected with meningitis after birth or during birth, the bacterial meningitis is caused by listeria monocytogenes on the one hand, and at other times by group B streptococci.
However even adults can contract bacterial meningitis through the listeria monocytogenes, and not only infants.


When people have been ill with a long drawn out disease, other kinds of bacteria related to that disease will lead to meningitis. However this happens in rare cases.


Causes of Viral meningitis
Viral meningitis, which is the commoner variety of meningitis, is commonly caused by enteroviruses. This kind of virus dwells silently in the intestine without breaking out into trouble. At times however, during the spreading of infection (for meningitis is contagious) through contaminated objects, water and food from person to person, this virus spreads and causes meningitis.
Mumps and HIV virus can also cause meningitis.


Other causes of meningitis
Sometimes brain surgery, a maxillofacial injury and injury to the skull, the complication of an illness can also culminate in meningitis.

Tags: Bacterial Meningitis, Brain Injury, Causes Of Meningitis, Ear Infections, Infectious Agents, Infectious Causes, Intestine, Kind Of Virus, Kinds Of Bacteria, Lethal Disease, Listeria Monocytogenes, Malignancies, Newborns, Rare Cases, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Risk Factors, Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Systemic Diseases, Treatment Of Meningitis, Viral Meningitis