Symptoms of meningitis in children
Usually, meningitis infection occurs.by airborne droplets. Less commonly, children become infected through dirty objects or animals. The main carriers of this disease in the animal world are street rodents.
Meningitis in a child can be identified by muscle pain. Photo: Getty The symptoms of the disease are as follows:
- chills and weakness;
- Strong headache;
- nausea and vomiting;
- muscle pain, it is especially strong in the neck, the child can not bow his head and touch his chest with his chin;
- temperature above 38 degrees;
- sensitivity to light and loud sounds, general irritability;
- lack of appetite;
- drowsiness.
There is an easy way to diagnoseillness at home. Gently push the baby on both cheeks. The patient involuntarily throw up his shoulders. In medicine, this is called a buccal symptom. In addition, you can watch the child sitting. Because of the overstrain of the back muscles, he cannot sit without support in his arms. The baby, of course, cannot complain of muscle pain or other symptoms. His meningitis is determined by severe anxiety and high fever. In the clinic, in addition to the standard set of tests and visual inspection, conduct puncture of cerebrospinal fluid. This study helps not only confirm or refute the diagnosis, but also shows the type of meningitis, which allows you to choose the optimal treatment. In some cases, an x-ray, CT scan and other diagnostic tests can be given to the patient.
What to do when meningitis in children
Treatment of children's meningitis at home is excluded.carried out only in stationary conditions. The basis of treatment is a seven-day antibacterial therapy. Doctors constantly monitor and maintain normal intracranial pressure, eliminate the symptoms of meningitis, give drugs to normalize the work of blood vessels and nerve cells. With the right choice of treatment, the normal state of health returns to the sick child in 2-3 days. Meningitis in a child is not a joke, it is a really serious illness, and you cannot experiment with treatment. At the first symptoms, seek qualified help to avoid dangerous consequences. It is also helpful to know:
