Spinal steroid injections of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate - a common treatment for back pain administered to millions of people in the United States every year - has been linked to an outbreak of meningitis, according to The New York Times.
Doctors suspect the steroid medicine has been contaminated with the Aspergillus fungus; the direct outbreak of meningitis, which does not spread from person to person, has killed seven people and infected tens of others since the story was first reported last week.
"All the patients who became ill were treated with one or more injections between July 30 and Sept. 18," reports Denise Grady, "and the incubation period - the time between exposure and when the patient gets sick - has ranged from seven days to about four weeks. That means that some patients may become ill in the next few weeks."
Symptoms have been known to include headache, dizziness, fever, loss of balance and slurred speech, many of which are stroke symptoms which make a correct diagnosis challenging. Detecting and treating the disease as early as possible is the best chance of curing it. Read the full details here:
Meningitis Cases Are Linked to Steroid Injections in Spine
Steve Crandall, a top-rated medical malpractice attorney throughout Ohio and Kentucky, urges anyone who received pain-relieving steroid injections to heed caution to these symptoms.
"Since the facts are just coming to light, steroid injections of any kind should be watched carefully, whether the location is the spine or elsewhere," says Crandall.
If you have any questions regarding medical malpractice throughout Ohio and Kentucky, contact Steve Crandall. Steve is available to help answer your questions and guide you in determining your next steps.
Pain-Relieving Steroid Injections Linked to Meningitis Outbreak