07.11
Meningitis and septicaemia (blood poisoning) are not always easy to recognise, and symptoms can appear in any order. Some may not appear at all. In the early stages, the signs and symptoms can be similar to many other more common illnesses, for example flu.
Trust your instincts. If you suspect meningitis or septicaemia, get medical help immediately.
Early symptoms can include fever, headache, nausea (feeling sick),
vomiting (being sick), and muscle pain, with cold hands and feet.
A rash that does not fade under pressure (see ‘The Glass Test’) is a sign of meningococcal septicaemia. This rash may begin as a few small spots anywhere on the body and can spread quickly to look like fresh bruises.
The spots or rash are caused by blood leaking into the tissues under the skin. They are more difficult to see on darker skin, so look on paler areas of the skin and under the eyelids. The spots or rash may fade at first, so keep checking.
However, if someone is ill or is obviously getting worse, do not wait for spots or a rash to appear. They may appear late or may not appear at all. (meningitis-trust)
Trust your instincts. If you suspect meningitis or septicaemia, get medical help immediately.
Early symptoms can include fever, headache, nausea (feeling sick),
vomiting (being sick), and muscle pain, with cold hands and feet.
A rash that does not fade under pressure (see ‘The Glass Test’) is a sign of meningococcal septicaemia. This rash may begin as a few small spots anywhere on the body and can spread quickly to look like fresh bruises.
The spots or rash are caused by blood leaking into the tissues under the skin. They are more difficult to see on darker skin, so look on paler areas of the skin and under the eyelids. The spots or rash may fade at first, so keep checking.
However, if someone is ill or is obviously getting worse, do not wait for spots or a rash to appear. They may appear late or may not appear at all. (meningitis-trust)
07.06
Is your baby getting worse fast? Babies can get ill very quickly, so check often.
* Tense or bulging soft spot
* High Temperature
* Very sleepy/staring expression/too sleepy to wake up
* Vomiting/refusing to feed
* Irritable when picked up, with a high pitch or moaning cry
* Breathing fast / difficulty breathing
* Blotchy skin, getting paler or turning blue
* Extreme shivering
* A stiff body with jerky movements, or else floppy / lifeless
* 'Pin prick' rash / marks or purple bruises on the body
* Cold hands and feet
* Sometimes diarrhoea
* Pain/ irritability from muscle aches or severe limb/joint pain
Not every baby gets all these symptoms. Symptoms can appear in any order.
What is the risk to my baby?
Most babies have natural resistance to these diseases. Meningitis vaccines give excellent protection but can't prevent all forms of meningitis and septicaemia.
What should I look out for?
Early symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia (the blood poisoning form of the disease) can be like other childhood illnesses, but a baby will usually get ill quickly and get worse fast.
Septicaemic rash
Watch out for tiny red or brown pin prick marks which can change into purple blotches or blood blisters. If your baby gets a rash, do the Tumbler Test (see below)
* Tense or bulging soft spot
* High Temperature
* Very sleepy/staring expression/too sleepy to wake up
* Vomiting/refusing to feed
* Irritable when picked up, with a high pitch or moaning cry
* Breathing fast / difficulty breathing
* Blotchy skin, getting paler or turning blue
* Extreme shivering
* A stiff body with jerky movements, or else floppy / lifeless
* 'Pin prick' rash / marks or purple bruises on the body
* Cold hands and feet
* Sometimes diarrhoea
* Pain/ irritability from muscle aches or severe limb/joint pain
Not every baby gets all these symptoms. Symptoms can appear in any order.
What is the risk to my baby?
Most babies have natural resistance to these diseases. Meningitis vaccines give excellent protection but can't prevent all forms of meningitis and septicaemia.
What should I look out for?
Early symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia (the blood poisoning form of the disease) can be like other childhood illnesses, but a baby will usually get ill quickly and get worse fast.
Septicaemic rash
Watch out for tiny red or brown pin prick marks which can change into purple blotches or blood blisters. If your baby gets a rash, do the Tumbler Test (see below)
07.01
It's easy to mistake the early signs and symptoms of meningitis for the flu (influenza). Meningitis symptoms may develop over a period of one or two days and typically include:
- A high fever
- Severe headache
- Vomiting or nausea with headache
- Confusion, or difficulty concentrating — in the very young, this may appear as inability to maintain eye contact
- Seizures
- Sleepiness or difficulty waking up
- Stiff neck
- Sensitivity to light
- Lack of interest in drinking and eating
- Skin rash in some cases, such as in viral or meningococcal meningitis
Earlier signs and symptoms that may suggest a serious infection, although not necessarily meningitis, include:
- Leg pain
- Ice-cold hands and feet
- Abnormally pale skin tone
Signs in newborns
Newborns and young infants may not have the classic signs and symptoms of headache and stiff neck. Instead, signs and symptoms of meningitis in this age group may include:
- Constant crying
- Excessive sleepiness or irritability
- Poor feeding
- A bulge in the soft spot on top of a baby's head (fontanel)
- Stiffness in the baby's body and neck
Infants with meningitis may be difficult to comfort, and may even cry harder when picked up.
If you or your child has bacterial meningitis, delaying treatment increases the risk of permanent brain damage. In addition, bacterial meningitis can prove fatal in a matter of days. Seek medical care right away if you or anyone in your family has any signs or symptoms.
When to see a doctor
If you or someone in your family has signs or symptoms of meningitis — such as fever, severe headache, confusion, vomiting and stiff neck — seek medical care right away. There's no way to know what kind of meningitis you or your child has without seeing your doctor and undergoing testing.
Viral meningitis may improve without treatment in a few days, but bacterial meningitis is serious and can come on very quickly. If you or your child has bacterial meningitis, the sooner the treatment begins, the better the chances of a recovery without serious complications.
Also talk to your doctor if a family member or someone you work with has meningitis. You may need to take medications to prevent getting sick.
06.57
The symptoms of meningitis are similar for both bacterial and viral forms of the disease. Adults and older children typically experience:
* Fever and chills
* Headache
* Vomiting
* Stiff neck (patient may not be able to curl up in bed with nose to knees)
* Irritability and drowsiness
* Eyes that are sensitive to light
* Delirium and confusion (uncommon)
* Seizures (rare)
* Coma (rare)
Symptoms in infants and young children include:
* Whimpering and crying in a high-pitched tone
* Difficulty in waking and very lethargic when awake
* Fussiness when being held or cuddled
* Arching the back and retracting the neck
* Staring blankly at their surroundings
* Having a high fever and cold hands and feet
* Refusing food
* Vomiting
* Appearing pale or blotchy
Meningococcal meningitis often causes a distinctive rash. This rash is the result of a form of septicemia An infection in the bloodstream that results from some cases of meningococcal meningitis. It is characterized by a rash caused by broken blood vessels. (infection in the bloodstream), a potentially fatal condition.
Septicemia occurs when the meningococcus bacteria multiply uncontrollably in the bloodstream. The bacteria release toxins into the blood that break down the walls of the blood vessels, allowing blood to leak into the skin. The leaking causes a characteristic rash, called a hemorrhagic rash. The rash can appear anywhere on the body, including in the eyes and often between the toes.
The rash starts as a cluster of tiny blood spots, which look like pin pricks in the skin. If untreated, these spots gradually grow and become multiple areas of bleeding, resembling fresh bruises under the skin surface. The spots or bruises do not blanch (turn white) when pressed.
Need To Know
Q. I'm concerned about my baby. She has been crying and whimpering all day. She has a blank stare and is lethargic. She has a fever and is not eating. What should I do.
A. Your baby is showing the classic symptoms of meningitis. If your child experiences any of the symptoms of meningitis or septicemia ('blood poisoning'), see a doctor immediately or go to the emergency department . Meningitis, especially bacterial meningitis, can cause brain damage in just a few hours and can kill in 24 hours.
(ehealthmd)
* Fever and chills
* Headache
* Vomiting
* Stiff neck (patient may not be able to curl up in bed with nose to knees)
* Irritability and drowsiness
* Eyes that are sensitive to light
* Delirium and confusion (uncommon)
* Seizures (rare)
* Coma (rare)
Symptoms in infants and young children include:
* Whimpering and crying in a high-pitched tone
* Difficulty in waking and very lethargic when awake
* Fussiness when being held or cuddled
* Arching the back and retracting the neck
* Staring blankly at their surroundings
* Having a high fever and cold hands and feet
* Refusing food
* Vomiting
* Appearing pale or blotchy
Meningococcal meningitis often causes a distinctive rash. This rash is the result of a form of septicemia An infection in the bloodstream that results from some cases of meningococcal meningitis. It is characterized by a rash caused by broken blood vessels. (infection in the bloodstream), a potentially fatal condition.
Septicemia occurs when the meningococcus bacteria multiply uncontrollably in the bloodstream. The bacteria release toxins into the blood that break down the walls of the blood vessels, allowing blood to leak into the skin. The leaking causes a characteristic rash, called a hemorrhagic rash. The rash can appear anywhere on the body, including in the eyes and often between the toes.
The rash starts as a cluster of tiny blood spots, which look like pin pricks in the skin. If untreated, these spots gradually grow and become multiple areas of bleeding, resembling fresh bruises under the skin surface. The spots or bruises do not blanch (turn white) when pressed.
Need To Know
Q. I'm concerned about my baby. She has been crying and whimpering all day. She has a blank stare and is lethargic. She has a fever and is not eating. What should I do.
A. Your baby is showing the classic symptoms of meningitis. If your child experiences any of the symptoms of meningitis or septicemia ('blood poisoning'), see a doctor immediately or go to the emergency department . Meningitis, especially bacterial meningitis, can cause brain damage in just a few hours and can kill in 24 hours.
(ehealthmd)
06.57
The symptoms of meningitis are similar for both bacterial and viral forms of the disease. Adults and older children typically experience:
* Fever and chills
* Headache
* Vomiting
* Stiff neck (patient may not be able to curl up in bed with nose to knees)
* Irritability and drowsiness
* Eyes that are sensitive to light
* Delirium and confusion (uncommon)
* Seizures (rare)
* Coma (rare)
Symptoms in infants and young children include:
* Whimpering and crying in a high-pitched tone
* Difficulty in waking and very lethargic when awake
* Fussiness when being held or cuddled
* Arching the back and retracting the neck
* Staring blankly at their surroundings
* Having a high fever and cold hands and feet
* Refusing food
* Vomiting
* Appearing pale or blotchy
Meningococcal meningitis often causes a distinctive rash. This rash is the result of a form of septicemia An infection in the bloodstream that results from some cases of meningococcal meningitis. It is characterized by a rash caused by broken blood vessels. (infection in the bloodstream), a potentially fatal condition.
Septicemia occurs when the meningococcus bacteria multiply uncontrollably in the bloodstream. The bacteria release toxins into the blood that break down the walls of the blood vessels, allowing blood to leak into the skin. The leaking causes a characteristic rash, called a hemorrhagic rash. The rash can appear anywhere on the body, including in the eyes and often between the toes.
The rash starts as a cluster of tiny blood spots, which look like pin pricks in the skin. If untreated, these spots gradually grow and become multiple areas of bleeding, resembling fresh bruises under the skin surface. The spots or bruises do not blanch (turn white) when pressed.
Need To Know
Q. I'm concerned about my baby. She has been crying and whimpering all day. She has a blank stare and is lethargic. She has a fever and is not eating. What should I do.
A. Your baby is showing the classic symptoms of meningitis. If your child experiences any of the symptoms of meningitis or septicemia ('blood poisoning'), see a doctor immediately or go to the emergency department . Meningitis, especially bacterial meningitis, can cause brain damage in just a few hours and can kill in 24 hours.
* Fever and chills
* Headache
* Vomiting
* Stiff neck (patient may not be able to curl up in bed with nose to knees)
* Irritability and drowsiness
* Eyes that are sensitive to light
* Delirium and confusion (uncommon)
* Seizures (rare)
* Coma (rare)
Symptoms in infants and young children include:
* Whimpering and crying in a high-pitched tone
* Difficulty in waking and very lethargic when awake
* Fussiness when being held or cuddled
* Arching the back and retracting the neck
* Staring blankly at their surroundings
* Having a high fever and cold hands and feet
* Refusing food
* Vomiting
* Appearing pale or blotchy
Meningococcal meningitis often causes a distinctive rash. This rash is the result of a form of septicemia An infection in the bloodstream that results from some cases of meningococcal meningitis. It is characterized by a rash caused by broken blood vessels. (infection in the bloodstream), a potentially fatal condition.
Septicemia occurs when the meningococcus bacteria multiply uncontrollably in the bloodstream. The bacteria release toxins into the blood that break down the walls of the blood vessels, allowing blood to leak into the skin. The leaking causes a characteristic rash, called a hemorrhagic rash. The rash can appear anywhere on the body, including in the eyes and often between the toes.
The rash starts as a cluster of tiny blood spots, which look like pin pricks in the skin. If untreated, these spots gradually grow and become multiple areas of bleeding, resembling fresh bruises under the skin surface. The spots or bruises do not blanch (turn white) when pressed.
Need To Know
Q. I'm concerned about my baby. She has been crying and whimpering all day. She has a blank stare and is lethargic. She has a fever and is not eating. What should I do.
A. Your baby is showing the classic symptoms of meningitis. If your child experiences any of the symptoms of meningitis or septicemia ('blood poisoning'), see a doctor immediately or go to the emergency department . Meningitis, especially bacterial meningitis, can cause brain damage in just a few hours and can kill in 24 hours.
06.51
Not completing the childhood vaccine schedule increases your risk of meningitis. So do a few other risk factors:
- Age. Most cases of viral meningitis occur in children younger than age 5. In the past, bacterial meningitis also usually affected young children. But since the mid-1980s, as a result of the protection offered by current childhood vaccines, the median age at which bacterial meningitis is diagnosed has shifted from 15 months to 25 years.
- Living in a community setting. College students living in dormitories, personnel on military bases, and children in boarding schools and child care facilities are at increased risk of meningococcal meningitis, probably because infectious diseases tend to spread quickly wherever large groups of people congregate.
- Pregnancy. If you're pregnant, you're at increased of contracting listeriosis — an infection caused by listeria bacteria, which may also cause meningitis. If you have listeriosis, your unborn baby is at risk, too.
- Working with animals. People who work with domestic animals, including dairy farmers and ranchers, have a higher risk of contracting listeria, which can lead to meningitis.
- Compromised immune system. Factors that may compromise your immune system — including AIDS, diabetes and use of immunosuppressant drugs — also make you more susceptible to meningitis. Removal of your spleen, an important part of your immune system, also may increase your risk. (mayoclinic)
06.47
Meningitis normally occurs as a complication from an infection in the bloodstream. A barrier (called the blood-brain barrier) normally protects the brain from contamination by the blood. Sometimes, infections directly decrease the protective ability of the blood-brain barrier. Other times, infections release substances that decrease this protective ability.
Once the blood-brain barrier becomes leaky, a chain of reactions can occur. Infectious organisms can invade the fluid surrounding the brain. The body tries to fight the infection by increasing the number of white blood cells (normally a helpful immune system response), but this can lead to increased inflammation. As the inflammation increases, brain tissue can start swelling and blood flow to vital areas of the brain can decrease.
Meningitis can also be caused by the direct spread of a nearby severe infection, such as an ear infection (otitis media) or a nasal sinus infection (sinusitis). An infection can also occur any time following direct trauma to the head or after any type of head surgery.
* Bacterial meningitis can be caused by many different types of bacteria. Certain age groups are predisposed to infections of specific types of bacteria.
* Viral meningitis is much less serious than bacterial meningitis and frequently remains undiagnosed because its symptoms are similar to the common flu. The frequency of viral meningitis increases slightly in the summer months because of greater exposure to the most common viral agents, called enteroviruses. (emedicinehealth)
Once the blood-brain barrier becomes leaky, a chain of reactions can occur. Infectious organisms can invade the fluid surrounding the brain. The body tries to fight the infection by increasing the number of white blood cells (normally a helpful immune system response), but this can lead to increased inflammation. As the inflammation increases, brain tissue can start swelling and blood flow to vital areas of the brain can decrease.
Meningitis can also be caused by the direct spread of a nearby severe infection, such as an ear infection (otitis media) or a nasal sinus infection (sinusitis). An infection can also occur any time following direct trauma to the head or after any type of head surgery.
* Bacterial meningitis can be caused by many different types of bacteria. Certain age groups are predisposed to infections of specific types of bacteria.
- Immediately after birth, bacteria called group B Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, and Listeria species are the most common.
- After approximately age 1 month, bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), and Neisseria meningitidis are more frequent. The widespread use of the Hib vaccine as a routine childhood immunization is dramatically decreasing the frequency of meningitis caused by Hib.
* Viral meningitis is much less serious than bacterial meningitis and frequently remains undiagnosed because its symptoms are similar to the common flu. The frequency of viral meningitis increases slightly in the summer months because of greater exposure to the most common viral agents, called enteroviruses. (emedicinehealth)