children s health issues
Meningitis in Children
Symptoms of Meningitis in Children
Symptoms of meningitis vary by age. Once children develop symptoms involving their brain (such as abnormal drowsiness or confusion), meningitis can progress very quickly. As many as 15% of children who have bacterial meningitis are unconscious (comatose) or nearly unconscious by the time they are taken to a hospital. Newborns and children under 12 months of age rarely develop a stiff neck (a common symptom in older children) and are unable to communicate specific discomfort. In these younger children, important signs of illness that should alert parents to a possibly serious problem include Unusual fussiness and irritability (particularly when they are held) Abnormal drowsiness (lethargy) Poor feeding Temperature too high or too low Vomiting Rash Seizures About one third of newborns who have bacterial meningitis have Seizures in Children . And about one in five infants and young children who have bacterial meningitis have seizures. Occasionally, the nerves controlling some eye and facial movements may be damaged by the bacteria, causing an eye to turn inward or outward or the facial expression to become lopsided. In about 33 to 50% of newborns with meningitis, increased pressure of the fluid around the brain may make the fontanelles (the soft spots between the skull bones) bulge or feel firm. These symptoms usually develop over at least 1 to 2 days, but some infants, particularly those between birth and 3 or 4 months of age, become ill very rapidly, progressing from health to near death in less than 24 hours. Rarely, certain bacteria cause pockets of pus (abscesses) to form within the brain of infants with meningitis. As the abscesses grow, pressure on the brain increases (called intracranial pressure), resulting in vomiting, head enlargement, and bulging fontanelles. Older children and adolescents with meningitis typically have a few days of increasing Fever Headache Confusion Stiff neck They may have had an Overview of Viral Respiratory Tract Infections in Children before the meningitis. Seizures, pressure on the brain, and nerve damage may also occur. 