Inflammation of both the brain and the meninges (the membrane covering the brain and spinal cord).
From Greek enkephalos (brain) + meninx (membrane) + -itis (inflammation). This compound medical term combines three Greek elements to precisely describe a condition affecting multiple brain structures simultaneously.
When meningitis and encephalitis happen at the same time—which is dangerously common—doctors combine the words into 'encephalomeningitis' to avoid saying two diseases. The suffix -itis appears in over 1,000 medical terms and always means inflammation.
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