Meningitis is an inflammatory process in the lining of the brain, provoked by an infection entering the body. Due to the fact that this disease can occur in patients of absolutely all age categories, meningitis can also affect newly born babies.
It is extremely important for the parents of a child to understand the background of the disease, to be able to identify its symptoms in order to know how to behave correctly when the disease manifests itself. It is worth learning more about the causes and consequences of meningitis in newborns. Reviews about the course of the disease are completely different. But, if it is treated in a timely manner, then the risk of complications and consequences can be reduced.
Danger of meningitis
Meningitis in infants from the moment of birth to one year is very dangerous because in 30% of cases the disease ends in death. Complications of the pathology can also lead to disability: impaired hearing, vision, mental retardation. After long-term therapy in a childthere is also a serious threat of an abscess in the brain. A complication can develop at any time, so for 2 years the baby should be under the constant supervision of doctors.
The threat of this disease also lies in the fact that children do not always have pronounced signs of pathology, for example, high fever. The reason for this is the lack of formed thermoregulation in infants. Therefore, for any symptoms similar to meningitis, you should immediately call an ambulance, and not get carried away with self-medication.
Risk factors
In infants, the named disease is formed as an independent disease. The cause of meningitis in newborns is the penetration of infection into the body. The most common pathogens in this case are staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus and intestinal infections. A high risk of the disease exists in children with CNS damage that occurred before or at the time of birth. And if the baby has a weakened immune system or there is an intrauterine pathology, then the risk of meningitis also increases significantly. At risk and babies born prematurely.
Statistics show that meningitis is more common in boys than in girls.
Symptoms
Symptoms of meningitis in newborns are most often non-specific. At the same time, slowness is noticeable in children, which from time to time is replaced by anxiety, appetite decreases, they unlock from the chest and burp. There are the following symptoms of meningitis in infants:
- pale skin;
- acrocyanosis (blue-purple tone of the tip of the nose, earlobes);
- bloating;
- signs of increased intracranial pressure (tense or bulging fontanel, increased head volume, vomiting).
In addition to the above, doctors also note such signs of meningitis in newborns as flinching, floating eyeballs, hyperesthesia, and seizures.
Signs of advanced stages
Rigidity of the neck muscles (pain when trying to tilt the head to the chest), as a rule, occurs in the later stages of the disease. At the same time, neurologists find the following signs in a baby with meningitis:
- Babinski's reflex. With stroke irritation of the sole along the outer side of the foot from the heel up to the beginning of the big toe, involuntary external bending of the big toe and plantar flexion of the remaining fingers occur (this reflex is physiological until the onset of two years).
- Kernig's symptom. If the child lies on his back, then the doctor cannot unbend the leg bent at the knee and hip joints at a right angle (up to 4-6 months of life, this reflex is referred to as physiological).
- Lasegue reflex. If the baby's leg is straightened in the hip joint, then it cannot be bent more than 70 degrees.
In infants, for the diagnosis of meningitis, doctors start from the general clinical picture in combination with the manifestations of Flatau's syndrome - an increase in pupils with a sharp tilt of the head forward, and Lessage - pressing the baby's legs to the tummy inlimbo.
Disease types
The most common types of meningitis in newborns are:
- Viral - appears against the background of influenza, measles, chickenpox and paratitis, for this reason it is difficult to recognize.
- Fungal - occurs in babies born prematurely, and in children with weakened immune systems. The baby runs the risk of becoming infected directly in the maternity hospital if hygiene rules are violated.
- Bacterial is the most commonly diagnosed species. It is caused by various purulent inflammations, if an infection has taken root. With blood, it reaches the layers of the brain and forms purulent foci.
Purulent meningitis in newborns occurs when infected with such types of microorganisms as Haemophilus influenzae, meningococcus and pneumococcus. In 70% of cases, meningococcal infection occurs. It occurs by airborne droplets through the nose or mouth. As a rule, such a disease develops rapidly, and after 8-12 hours the baby may die.
All varieties of the disease require different methods of treatment, which the doctor must determine by establishing the correct diagnosis.
Study of cerebrospinal fluid
When a disease is suspected, a newborn is given a lumbar puncture. The diagnosis can be proved or ruled out only on the basis of a study of the cerebrospinal fluid. So, with acute purulent meningitis, cerebrospinal fluid, dull or opalescent, flows under high pressure, in a jet or rapid drops. It candetect a huge number of neutrophils. In addition to significant neutrophilic cytosis, purulent meningitis is characterized by an increase in protein levels and low glucose saturation.
In order to establish the type of pathogen, a bacterioscopic and bacteriological study of the cerebrospinal fluid sediment is carried out. The analysis of this fluid is repeated every 4-5 days until the absolute correction of the newborn.
Rare form
Tuberculosis meningitis is very rare in newborn babies. Bacterioscopic examination of the cerebrospinal fluid with this type of meningitis can give a negative result. Tuberculous meningitis is characterized by precipitation over 12-24 hours in the collected sample of cerebrospinal fluid when it is standing. In 80% of cases, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is detected in the sediment.
Bacterioscopic study of cerebrospinal fluid in case of suspected meningococcal or streptococcal type of meningitis is considered a simple and correct express diagnostic method.
Stages
In meningococcal meningitis, the disease goes through a series of stages:
- first increase in cerebrospinal fluid pressure;
- then a small number of neutrophils are detected in the CSF;
- later there are changes characteristic of purulent meningitis.
Therefore, approximately in every third case, the cerebrospinal fluid, studied in the first hours of illness, looks normal. In the case of improper therapy, the fluid becomes purulent, the concentration of neutrophils increases in it, andprotein levels up to 1-16 g/l. Its saturation in the cerebrospinal fluid reflects the severity of the disease. With appropriate therapy, the volume of neutrophils decreases, they are replaced by lymphocytes.
Treatment
Pediatricians, neurologists and other doctors create personalized treatment regimens for meningitis in infants. The direction of treatment depends on the type of meningitis (viral or purulent), on the type of pathogen and the severity of the symptoms. Doctors individually select doses of drugs depending on the weight and age of the newborn.
Viral
For viral meningitis, dehydration therapy with diuretic drugs is performed to reduce intracranial pressure. Anticonvulsants and antiallergic drugs are prescribed, which reduce the body's susceptibility to toxins and allergens. In addition, the child needs antipyretics and painkillers, as well as antiviral drugs and immunoglobulin. In most cases, babies get better in 1-2 weeks.
Bacterial
Bacterial meningitis in newborns is treated with antibiotics, which are susceptible to various types of microorganisms. Since the examination of the cerebrospinal fluid taken during the puncture takes 3-4 days, empirical therapy with bactericidal substances is started immediately after the analysis of blood and cerebrospinal fluid. The results of the express study can be obtained within 2 hours. When determining the causative agent of infection, medications are prescribed, to which the detected diseases are more susceptible.microorganisms. If the condition of the baby does not improve at all 48 hours after the start of antimicrobial therapy, a secondary puncture is performed to clarify the diagnosis.
Meningitis in newborns due to Haemophilus influenzae can be prevented by vaccination. The ACT-HIB vaccine used in the Russian Federation is administered to children from 2-3 months of age. And from the age of one and a half years, babies are vaccinated against meningococcal infection with our meningococcal A and A + C vaccine. The imported vaccine MENINGO A + C, issued in the Russian Federation, is injected into newborns if someone in the family falls ill with a similar infection.
Meningitis in newly born babies is the most dangerous. Its results for infants may turn out to be unpredictable, therefore, at the first doubts about the well-being of the child, you should consult a doctor. Only the help of a professional will help save the life and he alth of the newborn.
Prevention
Preventive measures will help prevent the development of meningitis in babies:
- If the baby was born weak, he should be vaccinated against this disease. Although the vaccine does not provide absolute safety against germs and infections, it significantly increases it.
- To prevent a child from getting sick with viral meningitis, you should adhere to the rules of hygiene, do not use your own items for baby care.
- If a relative with a viral disease stays in the same area of residence with the baby, he should be limited from communicating with the baby.
- Roomneed to be ventilated regularly.
- You can not supercool the child, as well as overheat. Please dress according to the weather.
- After consulting a doctor, it is allowed to give the baby complex vitamin complexes and minerals.
- When breastfeeding, the mother must eat properly and comprehensively. Through her body, the child receives a variety of nutrients that can help cope with diseases.
- If there are deviations in the behavior of the baby and his well-being, you should immediately contact the doctor.
To date, there is no reliable remedy for protecting newly born children from meningitis. Experts say that only children with strong immunity can protect themselves from the disease. For this reason, mothers during pregnancy should take care of their own nutrition and organize a proper lifestyle.
Summing up
Meningitis in a newborn baby is especially dangerous, its outcome for babies in most cases is negative. As already mentioned in children who have had the disease, there is still a risk of a brain abscess, for this reason the baby must undergo constant examinations by a pediatrician for another 2 years. The consequences of meningitis in newborns, even after long-term treatment, can be serious visual and hearing impairment. The child may lag behind in development, suffer from blood clotting disorders, hydrocephalus, CNS disorder.
The prognosis for the described pathology depends on the cause and severitydisease, as well as the adequacy of the treatment.
