[Mineral metabolism in bacterial meningoencephalitis]

The authors investigated the concentration of some metals in the cerebrospinal fluid in 70 patients with bacterial meningoencephalitis in the dynamics of the inflammatory process and in different regions of the brain in 10 autopsy cases. There was a correlation between potassium, sodium, manganese, magnesium, copper and zinc in the brain and quantity of water, as well as their concentration in cerebrospinal fluid. It is shown that determination of some metals in the cerebrospinal fluid allows to diagnose edema swelling of the brain and to predict the disease sequels.