Once upon a time, doctors of the Middle Ages were forced to make diagnoses, guided only by complaints and those symptoms that brilliant scientists came up with to check. Then even the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus was made based on the taste of the patient's urine: sweet urine - high blood sugar. Later, various methods were invented to help the doctor in diagnosis, including laboratory tests. Since that time, a lot of diseases have been described, and some symptoms could well fit several diseases with different mechanisms and treatments.
What is this foreword for? In order to find the answer to the question: “What are the symptoms of meningitis?”, You were in no hurry to remove or make a diagnosis for yourself, which is confirmed only on the basis of a lumbar puncture. The signs and symptoms that give rise to this puncture will be described below.
Why a lumbar puncture?
Meningitis are serous and purulent. Often, without a puncture, it is impossible to distinguish them, meanwhile, the treatment of these two variants of the disease is fundamentally different. Even the presence of a characteristic hemorrhagic rash does not mean that a person hasdeveloped meningitis. This can only mean that a person has meningococcal (less often - pneumococcal or caused by Haemophilus influenzae) sepsis, in which meningitis almost always develops, but not the fact that now it is. Such a disease itself is very dangerous and without meningitis, so if you see such a rash on yourself or on someone from your family, do not waste time reading what the symptoms of meningitis are, call an ambulance.
In addition, a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid will be taken during the puncture, some of it will be sent for bacteriological examination, according to the results of which in 3-5 days it will be clear which microbe caused the disease and which antibiotic should change the existing therapy. If serous meningitis is detected, then 0.5 ml of cerebrospinal fluid can be sent for a PCR study on the genome of herpes simplex viruses, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr, which are the most life-threatening causative agents of meningitis.
What are the symptoms of meningitis?
The disease can begin with catarrhal phenomena: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat. The first symptoms of a microbe entering the body (these are not yet symptoms of meningitis) may be fever, weakness, lethargy, a non-allergic rash or signs characteristic of "children's" viral infections: measles, rubella, chicken pox. Sometimes at the beginning of the disease there may be purulent otitis media, sinusitis or phlegmon of the soft tissues of the face or jaw.
FirstMeningitis symptoms are:
- the occurrence of a severe headache in the temples, forehead or in the whole head; the pain is aggravated by lifting, turning the head. May be aggravated by loud noises, light (photophobia), pressure on the eyeballs. Such pain is relieved by painkillers at first for a short time, and then completely ceases to respond to them;
- increase in body temperature: typical - to high numbers, but this is not always the case: it all depends on the microbe and the state of the body, its defense system;
- lethargy, weakness, drowsiness;
- increased skin sensitivity: the usual touch is unpleasant for the patient.
- nausea, vomiting without any connection with the food taken the day before.
In young children, the first symptoms of meningitis can be monotonous crying, restlessness, refusal of the breast, bulging of a large fontanel. The baby becomes whiny or so sleepy that it is difficult to wake him up, takes a pose with his head thrown back in bed, and resists if he is taken on the handles. Sometimes the only sign of meningitis in a child may be convulsions against the background of a slightly elevated body temperature.
The following symptoms of meningitis in adults are:
- violation of consciousness: it can be inadequacy against the background of excitement, which is then replaced by depression of consciousness up to coma, when a person does not even respond to strong stimuli;
- convulsions: against the background of meningitis, they also occur in adults;
- nonsense;
- hallucinosis;
-side pose with head thrown back and legs bent.
Infectious meningitis: symptoms
Meningococcus is the only pathogen that, transmitted by airborne droplets from a patient with meningitis, can cause meningitis in another person (for other microbes, these are casuistic cases).
For meningococcal meningitis, the symptoms described above are characteristic. They can appear both acutely and 1-2 days after the onset of a purulent rhinitis against the background of severe intoxication and fever.
Another symptom that occurs with meningococcal meningitis can be a rash. It is called hemorrhagic, that is, due to skin soaking with blood (it must be said that such soaking also occurs in internal organs, including the adrenal glands and the brain).
Rash:
a) rises above the skin;
b) does not turn pale when stretching the skin under it or pressing on it with glass (for example, a glass);
c) does not itch;
d) usually begins with the buttocks, then - lower legs, forearms, hands and feet, gradually spreading to the entire body;
e) it is characterized by the fusion of several elements and the appearance of necrosis - areas of dead skin.
What symptoms does a doctor check for meningitis?
- Stiff neck muscles. Normally (if there is no pathology of the cervical spine), in the prone position, a person can reach his chin to the sternum. If this is not possible, the symptom is considered positive.
- If, when checking the first symptom, the legs bend intoknees and pull up to the stomach, this can also indicate meningitis.
- It is impossible to straighten the leg at the knee, previously bent at the knee and hip joints.
- When pressing on the bones above the pubis, the legs bend.
- In babies, this symptom is checked instead of the previous ones: they take his armpits, holding his head, he pulls his legs to his chest and holds them like that (normally, the child moves his legs, bends them and unbends them).
