Symptoms of meningitis in children: how to recognize the disease

Meningitis is a life-threatening disease, the essence of which lies in the inflammation of the membrane closest to the brain (there are three of them). The disease is caused by microbes: viruses, bacteria (including the rod of tuberculosis), fungi. Symptoms of meningitis in children should be known to every parent, because in time not recognized bacterial disease without timely treatment almost always leads to serious complications. His viral "colleague" (if it was not caused by cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus or herpes simplex virus) has slightly better predictions.

How can you get meningitis?

Airborne droplets transmit only some bacteria (this is meningococcus and hemophilic rod), many viruses. And only in special situations, these microbes enter the brain, causing meningitis. Therefore, if you learned that your child has communicated with a person who has been diagnosed with this disease in a few days, and it was not caused by meningococcus, do not panic. The same chance he has to catch and from people from the immediate environment, when they suffer a cold disease caused by the virus.

The main way of penetration of bacteria into the brain is from the ears (with otitis), the paranasal sinuses (with gonorrhea), from the oropharynx.

How is meningitis manifested?

The main symptoms of meningitis in children:

- headache, which is poorly removed by pain medication (as an option, there may be pain in the back, since this shell covers the spinal cord as well);

- temperature increase (not always up to very high digits);

- nausea and vomiting, not related to eating;

- Photophobia (painful to look at the light);

- weakness, drowsiness;

- loss of appetite;

- Hypersensitivity of the skin: the usual tactile contact (stroking, holding the hand) causes unpleasant sensations.

These are signs of meningitis in a child of the older, who already knows how to speak and can say that he is worried.

Should alert such symptoms to the baby:

1) Bulging fontanel. This is a malleable "film" in children under one year, located on the head closer to the crown. Normally, it should be at the same level as the bones of the skull. This symptom indicates increased intracranial pressure. It is informative if the child is not dehydrated due to vomiting or total refusal to eat and drink.

2) Symptoms of meningitis in children, after hearing which, the doctor immediately sends to the infectious diseases hospital: convulsions (including "podkatyvanie" eye, twitching in the extremities), which occur against a background of even slightly elevated temperature.

3) The child is sluggish, drowsy, stops responding to others. Sometimes it happens that at first he is very excited, cries, throws back the head, then the excitation is replaced by drowsiness.

4) The doctor checks the symptoms of meningitis in children until the year so: takes the child under the armpits and lifts. Strengthens the suspicion of meningitis if the child at the same time pulls the legs to the stomach. Also, this feature is checked: when tapping on the bone forming the cheek from above (this is called the zygomatic arch), on the same half of the face there is a grimace of pain.

Children older than one year are tested for other symptoms (for example, stiff neck muscles) that are characteristic of meningitis in adults.

5) Rash. It does not appear with all kinds of infection. The most "terrible" rash looks like spots of dark color, they appear immediately on the buttocks and legs, can merge with each other, do not turn pale if you stretch the skin under them.

When can not we waste time?

- If you see at least something similar to the symptoms of meningitis in a child (they are not in a "full set": for example, there is only vomiting and fever or pronounced drowsiness at elevated temperature), you need to call an ambulance.

- If a baby has a rash on the background of a temperature, even if it was fed with a new type of food before it or bitten by mosquitoes, do not postpone the call for medical care.

- If there were cramps, even in the form of slight twitchings, which have passed by themselves.

- If the child does not react to others, it is difficult to wake him.