How parents want their children to be he althy, cheerful and cheerful! But the reality does not always coincide with the desired. Children sometimes get sick. Some simply resist a mild cold, while others become more severe. Symptoms of meningitis in a child should not be ignored. In this case, medical intervention is mandatory.
Have to fight for your baby. But the sooner this struggle is started, the faster the baby will begin to recover. And remember: treatment should be carried out only under the supervision of a specialist and only in a hospital.
General information
Meningitis is a neuroinfectious disease. The lining of the brain and spinal cord becomes inflamed. Most often the disease occurs in children aged three months to three years. But this is not a fact. You can meet the symptoms of meningitis in a child 8 years and older. All forms of the disease are very severe. Medical assistance is indispensable.
The disease can manifest itself in the cold season. Strong immunity to itis being developed. You can get sick again.
The consequences of this disease, if the treatment was carried out incorrectly or out of time, is disability or death. The result is a violation of the central nervous system, mental retardation, a mental problem.
That's why when you find the first signs of illness, you should not self-medicate. Only a qualified specialist will help to cope with the disease.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that with meningitis, symptoms in children during the incubation period cannot be detected. The causative agent is not yet fully manifested. The damage it does is almost invisible. The duration of this stage is from several hours to ten days. Depends on the form of the disease.
The death rate among children infected with bacterial meningitis is fourteen percent. Vaccinations are a remedy that can protect against certain forms of the disease.
Classification
Before talking about meningitis in children, symptoms and treatment, you should understand the classification of the disease.
Depending on the area of damage to the meninges, the disease is divided into:
- Arachnoiditis (a rare form). Spider shells are damaged.
- Pachymeningitis. Inflammation affects the hard membranes of the brain.
- Leptomeningitis - is the most common. The arachnoid and soft shells “get sick.”
Depending on pathogen:
- Pneumococcal - sick people are the source of infectionpatients and pathogen carriers. It is caused by pneumococcus. It is introduced into the body, resistant to the action of antibodies in the blood.
- Meningococcal. The causative agent is diplococcus.
- Staphylococcal, most commonly affects newborns or children who have had chemotherapy.
- Hemophilic. The reason for the appearance is Haemophilus influenzae.
By the nature of the flow:
- Serous meningitis in children. Symptoms and signs are most common in newborns. The disease is milder than purulent forms of meningitis. This type of disease is characterized by the presence of lymphocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid.
- Purulent - develops under the influence of bacteria (viruses). There is a large number of neutrophils in the cerebrospinal fluid.
Remember! Without timely treatment, the disease, whatever type it may be, causes irreparable harm to the he alth of the child.
Reasons
If a child has symptoms of meningitis, it is necessary to find out what caused the disease.
- Viruses: measles, chicken pox, rubella, polio, Epstein-Barr virus.
- Bacteria: streptococci, meningococci and others. The simplest microorganisms, Haemophilus influenzae.
- Tuberculosis bacillus, fungi, helminths.
The disease is transmitted through contact with a sick person. The disease has an incubation period. There are no symptoms yet, but the child is already a source of infection.
Children born prematurely are most often affected; infants with purulent pathologies; babies with birth injuries and disorders of the central nervoussystem.
Infection occurs as follows: bacteria enter the bloodstream. They negatively affect the lining of the brain and cerebrospinal fluid.
Another way of infection is through the nasopharynx. Causes of infection: contact with a carrier or a sick person, weakened immunity.
Signs of disease
When a child has meningitis, the following symptoms are observed (they are leading): high fever, headache, vomiting. These symptoms are also called the meningeal triad.
The temperature rises quickly to forty degrees, lasts for several days. On the fourth day, it begins to decline only if the treatment was carried out in a timely manner.
To the first symptoms of meningitis in children, you can add: lethargy, drowsiness, weakness.
Headache appears immediately. The child cannot show where he is “bad”, since the pain sensations do not have a specific location.
The next sign of the disease is profuse vomiting (the vomiting center of the brain swells). She appears suddenly, without nausea. Does not bring relief to the baby.
General signs of disease
Infectious meningitis in children has the same symptoms as any other infectious disease.
- The body temperature rises.
- The skin becomes pale, sometimes cyanosis appears.
- Muscles begin to ache.
- The child becomes lethargic, does not want to play, constantly cries.
- At the babyloss of appetite.
Depending on the factor that caused the disease, some signs may vary.
In viral meningitis, the symptoms in children are the same as mentioned above, but there is a difference - the temperature can be very high.
The bacterial form of the disease causes purulent discharge from the ear canals.
If the disease proceeds with complications, then blood pressure may decrease. In this situation, the child may refuse not only food, but also water.
These are common symptoms of the disease in children, and now we will learn more about them.
Physical signs
Dangerous disease - meningitis. Symptoms in children how to recognize at an early stage? This question always worries parents. The sooner they notice the pathology, the more optimistic the prognosis for recovery will be. Like every disease, inflammation of the brain has physical signs. They will help to notice that something is wrong with the child. Knowing them is useful for everyone, but especially for those parents who have children under the age of one year. They can't tell anything.
The first symptom of meningitis in young children is a strong pulsation of the fontanel (the area of the skull that is not covered by bones) and its swelling. These signs indicate that an inflammatory process is underway.
Specific symptoms of the disease include the following.
- The headache is very severe. The baby constantly rubs his head and wraps it up.
- Unusual reaction to loud music and bright lights. Usually the baby starts crying.
- The first symptoms of meningitis in children 2 years old, as well as in children up to five years old, are cramps and twitches.
- Baby reacts inadequately to touch.
- There is a sharp change from irritability to lethargy.
- Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting.
- Sometimes there is a rash on the skin with hemorrhages. It is a dangerous symptom of meningitis in children 4 years old and other age groups. Red spots usually start from the lower extremities and gradually rise upwards. The cause of this symptom is meningococcus. In this case, we are talking about purulent inflammation. Call an ambulance immediately.
Specific features
We continue the conversation about what symptoms of meningitis in children appear first. The physical signs were considered above, and now let's dwell on the specific ones. The latter are characteristic only for this disease.
- The patient, being in a horizontal position, tries to tilt his head to the chest. If the body becomes inflamed in the membranes of the brain, then its legs will bend uncontrollably.
- Lesage's symptom. Motor reactions are checked. When the child is taken under the armpits, his legs are pulled up to the stomach.
Symptoms of meningitis in children 3 years and older appear very well. Parents do not have to doubt that something is wrong with the baby. You should promptly contact a specialist. Only in this case can we talk about positive results of treatment.
Diagnosis at homeconditions
The following activities will help to refute or confirm your doubts. They can be done at home.
- Checking for stiff neck. The baby's chin is pressed against the chest. If the baby is completely unable to do this, then the muscles cannot relax after contraction.
- Diagnosis by symptoms of meningitis in children 3 years of age and older can be confirmed in this way. The child lies on his back, knees bent. Ask him to straighten one leg and put it on the surface. The patient cannot do this. This checks the tension of the muscles of the back of the thigh.
- Buccal symptom. Press on the cheek area on both sides - the shoulders rise involuntarily. The back muscles are tense. In this case, the child cannot sit without support.
- Pose "cocked the trigger". The baby lies on its side, head thrown back, legs tucked up to the stomach.
Convulsions are added to the symptoms of meningitis in children under 5 years of age.
Diagnosis of disease
At the first suspicion of inflammation of the lining of the brain, you should immediately consult a doctor. The specialist examines the baby, prescribes treatment. It is important that it be timely.
For the correct diagnosis of meningitis in a child, the following tests confirm the symptoms:
- Complete blood count. The results show the presence of leukocytosis with a shift to the left. Elevated ESR.
- Lumbar puncture, CSF examination. After taking the analysis within two hours, the cerebrospinal fluid must be delivered to the laboratory. Ata positive result, the liquid is cloudy, milky white, the amount of protein is increased, and glucose is below normal.
- Bacterioscopy. The material for the study is taken from the skin, nasopharynx, cerebrospinal fluid. Blood smears will also be needed.
- Bacteriological analysis. Substances taken from cerebrospinal fluid, nasopharyngeal mucosa and urine are being tested.
- Blood serology. The presence of specific antibodies is determined.
Treatment
Let's say, after carefully observing the behavior of the baby, you began to suspect that he had meningitis. Symptoms in children how to recognize, you already know. Based on your knowledge, you made a "diagnosis". Do not hesitate a minute, call a doctor. Only he will help your child.
Treatment is carried out in a hospital. The patient is isolated. A number of tests are performed to confirm the diagnosis.
- Antibacterial agents are prescribed to eliminate pathogens.
- Broad spectrum antibiotics are used to enhance the effect. For bacterial inflammation, the most powerful drugs in this group are used.
- Antiviral drugs are added to the course of antibiotics for viral meningitis (symptoms in children confirm this diagnosis). For more effective action, they are injected into a vein or spinal canal.
- Also prescribed: antipyretics, antihistamines and dehydrating drugs. They are used to alleviate the symptoms of illness.
Diuretics are prescribed to reduce swelling of the brainmedicines. In order to improve the functioning of the central nervous system, the child is given nootropic drugs: Piracetam, Nootropil and others. Steroid hormones will support the heart muscle.
The course of treatment includes rehabilitation. The first fourteen days are required bed rest. If this is not observed, complications may arise.
After successful treatment, many children have to learn to sit and stand again. During this period, children are prescribed physiotherapy exercises and massage. The menu consists of plenty of vitamins and protein.
Reviews
What do people who have experienced this problem say? They will be able to prompt, give advice and help. Of course, only a specialist will do everything right, but friends in misfortune will tell you what to do so that it is not too late. Let's talk again about the symptoms of meningitis in children. Feedback from those who lived through these terrible days can help prevent disaster.
It all starts like a common cold. Only the temperature is very high, and it is impossible to bring it down. If a child has a neck pain and he loses consciousness, then you can’t waste time - urgently go to the hospital. There they will do tests and make a diagnosis.
Besides the fact that the temperature is high, the neck hurts, it is difficult for the child to look at the light, he is annoyed by loud sounds. Parents of children who have had meningitis also talk about this.
Severe vomiting does not bring relief, the child cannot touch the chest with the chin, the neck does not bend.
Whatever parents say, it all comes down toalone, there is no time to waste. Any doubts can be dispelled by the doctor. At the first suspicious symptoms, call an ambulance.
Disease prevention
In order for the child not to get sick, the following preventive measures should be taken:
- Give your child a meningitis shot.
- Timely get rid of diseases that can cause inflammation of the lining of the brain.
- Strengthen your child's immunity.
- Try to avoid hypothermia crumbs.
- Avoid contact with sick people.
- Teach your child about personal hygiene.
- Temper your baby.
- Do not allow your child to swim in open water. Especially where there is standing water.
- Drink yourself and give your child only boiled or bottled water.
- Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating.
In conclusion, I would like to summarize.
Symptoms of meningitis in a child of 7 years and other age groups are the same. Only smaller children cannot tell what and where they hurt. Mom and dad should understand this by looking at their baby. Just because the baby will not cry. The methods listed above will help you make a diagnosis yourself. But remember: no self-treatment. Your baby's he alth is in your hands. The sooner you contact a specialist, the higher the prognosis for recovery. Sometimes one minute of delay can cost the life of your child. Don't take risks, help the child.
