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Meningitis in children: symptoms, causes, treatment

by Olga Galaguz - Jan 20, 2017

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Meningitis is a dangerous infectious disease that develops in the central nervous system. They can get sick at any age. But most often it occurs in children. It is caused by a fragile organism in which the disease spreads rapidly. Meningococcal infection in children usually does not pass without leaving a trace and leaves behind severe consequences. Even if you start treatment on time, complications cannot be avoided.

The causes of meningitis

Meningitis is transmitted by airborne droplets. Therefore, you can get infected with it from a sick person or from an animal. The infection can also be transmitted through infected objects.

Inflammation can be caused by both bacteria and viruses.

The most common causes of the disease are:

pathogenic bacteria such as tubercle bacillus, pneumococcus, syphilis, various types of staphylococcus and streptococcus;
viruses in the form of tonsillitis, measles, herpes, rubella, chickenpox;
fungi typeacryptococcus;
simple microorganisms such as amoeba and toxoplasma.

Moreover, at different ages, different causative agents of the disease prevail. In infants, meningitis is rare. They can only get an intrauterine infection through the mother.

In infants, an infectious disease can manifest itself from the immunodeficiency virus or from congenital syphilis. The most common cause of this disease in children 1 year old is a bacterial infection due to meningococcus.

Staphylococcus and streptococcus often become the causative agents of meningitis in schoolchildren. In adolescents and adults, the diagnosis can be made as a result of tuberculosis.

Symptoms of meningitis in children

The predominant signs in meningitis are gagging, headache and fever in the patient.

From the very beginning of the disease, a headache appears. Moreover, it is quite strong and extends to the entire head. The manifestation of this symptom is associated with the processes taking place in the brain. He swells and nerve endings begin to irritate. Therefore, the headache can still be accompanied by pain in those places where the nerve endings go. Particularly soreness is felt when probing the nerve points on the upper lip, middle zone of the forehead, around the nose and in the ears.

Also, meningitis is accompanied by severe vomiting. At the same time, there is no feeling of nausea. But she usually does not bring the slightest relief. It appears as a result of irritation due to cerebral edema.

With this disease, the temperature can rise to 40 degrees. It, like the headache, begins to rise from the very onset of the disease and can last for several days. Even if during the start of therapy, the temperature in children begins to subside only 3-4 days after the onset of the disease.

During illness, children develop intoxication syndrome, which manifests itself through symptoms such as a lethargic state, weakness, decreased appetite, head fog, a constant desire to sleep, and muscle weakness.

Meningitis is accompanied by all of these symptoms. Therefore, the presence of only one of them does not mean that the child is sick with this particular disease.

Children also become irritable during meningitis. This is due to a decrease in the sensitivity threshold, as a result of which irritants such as light and sound intensify the headache. A sick child becomes very sensitive to harsh sounds and bright lighting.

In infants, as a result of an increase in intracranial pressure, compaction and swelling of the fontanel can be observed.

In a severe form of the disease, the child may develop seizures, which can lead to loss of consciousness.

Treatment of meningitis in children

Only a doctor can diagnose meningitis. The diagnosis is made on the basis of interviewing the child and his parents about the symptoms, their duration and severity. It is also necessary to find out what viral pathologies the child suffered. This is followed by an examination, on the basis of which the symptoms can be confirmed. It is imperative to pass blood and urine tests.

But the main indicator for diagnosis is a spinal puncture, which consists in a puncture of the lower back to take fluid.

Treatment of meningitis is carried out only in a stationary setting. In this case, the child must definitely follow bed rest and a special diet.

Medication will depend on the type of meningitis. If the cause of the disease is a bacterial pathogen, then antibiotics are prescribed, which have a wide range of effects. For viral meningitis, antiviral medications are used.

If treatment is started in a timely manner, then the symptoms begin to go away on 3-4 days, and the cerebrospinal fluid returns to normal in a week. On the 10th day after the onset of positive dynamics, a puncture is done again.

The result of treatment depends on at what stage of the development of the disease the therapy began. Therefore, it is necessary at the first signs to immediately go to the hospital, since meningitis can lead to complications in the form of a brain tumor, pneumonia, kidney failure and paralysis.

Prevention of meningitis in children

To avoid meningitis, you need to strengthen children's immunity and observe sanitary and hygienic rules. Prevention is aimed at excluding the child's contact with pathogens.

Boost immunity frequent walks in the fresh air and tempering will help. Bright light in the children's room, periodic airing and high-quality cleaning will help get rid of germs.

If a child goes to kindergarten or school, it is necessary to prescribe quarantine for the duration of an exacerbation of infectious diseases, such as measles, chickenpox and rubella.

Also, an effective way of prevention is the timely vaccination of the child in accordance with age. Since the vaccinated organism creates increased immunity against the pathogens of meningitis.