The first symptoms of meningitis in children and adults

Meningitis is a life-threatening disease, if there is which sometimes the expense is not just in the days and even hours. Most often it is secondary in nature, that is occurs as a complication of bacterial diseases of ear, throat, nose, lungs, and blood poisoning. Meningitis may complicate the course of almost any viral disease: rubella, chickenpox, mumps, mononucleosis, measles, which usually are treated at home. So it is important to follow the doctor's recommendation, but also know the first symptoms of meningitis.

How can start meningitis?

Viral meningitis usually occurs on the background of existing viral diseases. That is, first the person complains of a runny nose, fever, rash (if it is measles, rubella, chicken pox), cough. Then there are the first symptoms of meningitis: severe headache, lethargy, drowsiness, repeated (or even more) increase in body temperature. To headache can quickly join the seizures with respiratory failure, depression of consciousness, delusions, inappropriate behavior, hallucinations. These signs, especially emerged against the background of previous previous minor ailments, a feeling of irritation or discomfort in the throat, can mean that in this case there is a herpes meningitis, a very dangerous to life and leaving serious consequences even while making timely and adequate specific therapy. Therefore, in this case the ambulance call and trip to the infectious hospital should not be delayed even for a minute.

First symptoms of meningitis in case of bacterial origin

1. If it occurs on the background of otitis, pneumonia, constant leakage of CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) from the ear or nose, the person notes an intense headache that is practically not removed by pain pills, the body temperature rises. Sometimes the patient notices that it becomes impossible to get the chin to the sternum.

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Other first symptoms of meningitis in adults: a man tries harder to lie, the sudden turns of the head, he noted the increased headache. It hurts to look at light, head “split” at loud sounds, often marked hypersensitivity of the skin (light touch to the skin is very frustrating). The appetite disappears, and when trying to eat and drink, there are nausea, vomiting. Diarrhea at this.

In such cases, especially with the constant expiration of CSF from the nose or ear, these symptoms quickly joined by clouding of consciousness, delirium, inadequate, loss of orientation in time and place, lethargy, convulsions with respiratory failure.

2. In the case of meningococcal infection the first symptoms of meningitis (headache, increased skin sensitivity, nausea and vomiting) can occur due to high temperature and a characteristic rash, rarely – against the background of runny nose with yellow or white discharge and minor ailments.

The rash is dark in color, which is not itchy and does not hurt, does not turn pale when pressure is applied on a transparent glass – is testimony to the urgent call an ambulance. Such rash – is not a symptom of meningitis per se, it – a sign of meningococcal (rarely – Haemophilus influenzae or pneumococcal) infection, its septic form, which can cause the death of a man. In the case of a strange rash in any case can not wait for the appearance of sleepiness or headache, as precious time is lost.

Meningitis: symptoms in children

Children who already know how to speak, often also complain of headaches, which appeared on the background of elevated temperature when taking pain medication the pain goes for a while, the child some time and even lose their normal activity. Also nausea, sometimes-vomiting, irrespective of food intake, the baby will try much harder to lie.

In infants, the first symptoms can be considered the first excitement when the child does not calm down, and even more crying, if you get it on your hands, then there is drowsiness accompanied by increased up to different numbers (often – to 39-40 degrees Celsius) body temperature. Then the child becomes more sleepy, lying, trying to throw back his head, crying when you turn on lights or loud sounds. He also had vomiting occurs often – repeated.

Signs of meningitis in babies up to a year also feel the bulging of large fontanel (it should be flush with the bones of the skull), seizures caused by normal or slightly (to 38 degrees) increased body temperature, rash, dark in color, tucking the legs if child hold “column”.