Inflammation of the soft membranes of the spinal cord, the brain is meningitis. Its etiology is very diverse - the nature of the disease can be bacterial, viral, allergic. The disease develops most often in children, especially those who have a weakened immune system. Despite the fact that meningitis is a very serious disease that can cause extremely serious complications, in children in most cases it responds well to treatment and passes almost without consequences, of course, provided that the therapy was started in a timely manner.
If symptoms are ignored or if medical attention is delayed, the child may develop complications such as temporary or permanent hearing loss, partial or total vision loss, and developmental (mental and physical) disorders. In the worst case scenario, the child may fall into a coma and die. But you should not be afraid - the disease leads to such tragic consequences in no more than 2% of cases, and only in those children who did not receive competent medical care on time. Therefore veryit is important not to start meningitis. Signs in a child, indicating the development of the disease, usually immediately appear brightly. But even if you notice only minor symptoms that may indicate this disease, see a doctor immediately.
Meningitis: signs in a child
As already noted, the disease usually has a very pronounced form from the very beginning. Its symptoms are quite specific, and therefore easily recognizable. The first sign of the disease can be called a sharp, sudden significant increase in temperature, its level can reach up to 40 degrees.
Depending on the individual physiological characteristics of the body, as well as on the form in which meningitis occurs, the signs in a child may (along with an increase in temperature) consist in weakness or, conversely, an excited state, lethargy and drowsiness, or, conversely, irritability and moodiness.
Headaches appear. In addition, the child begins to be disturbed by chills - younger children start to shiver, older ones just constantly freeze. It is also characteristic that no antipyretic drugs can bring down the high temperature. Typical symptoms include the appearance of a hemorrhagic rash on the skin. It usually occurs on the second day after the onset of inflammation. Based on these symptoms alone, you should suspect meningitis. The child's signs will expand over time, but do not wait for this - call the ambulance.
Types of meningitis
Both very young children and schoolchildren most often get sick with viral meningitis, it is also called serous. The acute period of the disease lasts approximately three to five days, at which time the signs of viral meningitis in children are characterized by intense headaches, a significant increase in temperature. With timely therapy, recovery will occur in an average of two weeks. Generally speaking, serous meningitis has a favorable prognosis for recovery. Signs in a child, however, do not immediately appear clearly in all cases, which sometimes leads to late diagnosis and, accordingly, the need for longer and more laborious treatment.
Young children are more likely to get purulent meningitis. Especially often children in the first year of life get sick with it. This type of disease develops mainly under the influence of a bacterial infection, meningococci, Haemophilus influenzae, pneumococci excite the disease. Signs of purulent meningitis are fever, intense headache, muscle stiffness. Increased sensitivity to light, smells, sounds. Due to such vivid symptoms, problems with the diagnosis of the disease almost never arise.
