My friend just told me her daughter is in the hospital and she's got this....meningits from mastoidits....What is this and how bad is it?

Mastoiditis, a bacterial infection within the honeycomb-like mastoid process, in most cases results when an ear infection spreads to the mucus membrane surrounding the mastoid process and eventually reaches the walls of the bone itself. If the infection persists, it may destroy the delicate structures of the mastoid. This can result in hearing loss and, without treatment, continued destruction of bone in the skull. Mastoiditis most often affects children. Before the advent of antibiotics, it was a common cause of childhood mortality. Currently, prospects of full recovery are very good. However, if not treated promptly, mastoiditis may lead to further complications, including meningitis

It's rather bad I'm afraid.

I'll keep her in my non-religious but sincere prayers.

Depends on how quick she got her daughter to the doctor.

I just found out this morning with I spoke with her for like 2 minutes. Her daughter (Tes - 8) is in the hospital now four days. She said she would get back with me, and I wanted to know sooner.....Thanks you guys..

Frequently Asked Questions

What is meningitis?

Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person's spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. People sometimes refer to it as spinal meningitis. Meningitis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Knowing whether meningitis is caused by a virus or bacterium is important because the severity of illness and the treatment differ. Viral meningitis is generally less severe and resolves without specific treatment, while bacterial meningitis can be quite severe and may result in brain damage, hearing loss, or learning disability. For bacterial meningitis, it is also important to know which type of bacteria is causing the meningitis because antibiotics can prevent some types from spreading and infecting other people. Before the 1990s, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis, but new vaccines being given to all children as part of their routine immunizations have reduced the occurrence of invasive disease due to H. influenzae. Today, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis are the leading causes of bacterial meningitis.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod...ccal_g.htm

hope she gets well soon. it's pretty serious but the good news is they caught it in time

Thank You I'm told that she has 10-14 more days in the hospital.

Update: She has 6 more days in the hospital to go....she's on antibiotics. and had surgery for the mastoidits. She's doing better! Thanks everyone for helping me!