Most often children get sick with meningitis. This is because they still have an imperfect immune system, which has to “learn” a lot of viruses and bacteria in order to properly resist them. In addition, children are more careless: in infancy they put toys and various unfamiliar objects into their mouths, at an older age they prefer close, trusting contact with peers, and the fact that they cough or sneeze does not bother anyone. From such communication with a sick child or adult, from eating insufficiently thermally processed food, water or milk, sometimes with a tick bite, against the background of an untreated purulent disease or a complication of rubella, mumps, measles, chickenpox and meningitis appears. The first signs of this disease in children should be noticed in time and immediately seek medical help.
What are meningitis?
The main two types of meningitis are distinguished by the picture of cerebrospinal fluid, which is obtained by lumbar puncture. According to the symptoms, it is not always possible to navigate whether viral meningitis in children or bacterial ones. And it is very important for a doctor to know this difference, since it is onall therapy is based on it.
So, meningitis happens:
a) serous, that is, lymphocytes predominate in the cerebrospinal fluid. This type of meningitis is mainly caused by viruses;
b) purulent, when most of the cells in the cerebrospinal fluid are represented by neutrophils. This kind of illness is caused by bacteria.
Meningitis: the first signs in children
The disease can begin as a normal ARVI - with a cough, sore throat, runny nose, fever. Diarrhea or a rash may appear when the called doctor admits that the child has developed measles, rubella, or chickenpox. In cases of secondary purulent meningitis, the onset of the disease will be signs of purulent otitis media, rhinitis or sinusitis (less often pneumonia), that is, the appearance of yellow, yellow-white or yellow-green discharge from the nose or ear.
Directly signs of meningitis in older children are:
- fever, usually to high numbers, with tuberculous meningitis there may be a slight temperature reaction;
- a bursting headache, usually in the parietal and temporal areas, can be all over the head. This pain is very severe, poorly relieved by painkillers, makes the child lie down. You may notice that the baby lies on his side, pulling his knees to his chest, asks not to turn on the lights and music, to speak more quietly;
- lethargy, drowsiness;
- Nausea and/or vomiting that occurs suddenly, with no apparent reason in the form of eating spoiled food;
- against the backdrop of decliningor not very high temperature, convulsions or inappropriate behavior appear. If meningitis has the first signs in children just like that, you should not wait for everything to go away on its own, urgently call an ambulance;
- normal touch causes discomfort, up to pain.
You can check a few symptoms yourself:
1) put the child flat on his back, put his hand under his head and try to reach his chin to the sternum. If this cannot be done against the background of a normal or slightly elevated temperature, it is likely that meningitis is taking place here;
2) in the same position, bend the leg at the hip joint and knee, now straighten the knee. Normally, this can be easily done, while the second leg also remains flat. The symptom is checked on both legs.
Meningitis, the first signs in children under one year old:
- baby sleeps all the time;
- he has a high body temperature;
- he can constantly cry or moan monotonously (he has a headache);
- vomiting;
- refusal of food;
- convulsions;
- his large fontanel becomes higher than the rest of the skull bones, it is tense and pulsating (pulsation is the norm, but it should be on the same level with the bone base);
- he starts crying harder when you pick him up;
- if you take him under the armpits, he will simply pull his legs up to his stomach, he will not bend or unbend them.
A rash is an optional but very likely sign of meningitis. Therefore if youyou see a rash, and if it is dark, does not disappear and does not turn pale when pressed with a glass (for example, a glass), even if there are no other signs described above, you should still seek medical help.
