Meningitis poses danger to our life and so we must use vaccination to guard us from the possibility of it attacking us. Since it can still strike us we must know enough about it to take immediate treatment from a doctor.
We must therefore first become aware of the various symptoms developed by meningitis sufferers. This is also important because in different individuals, meningitis manifests differently.
Meningitis symptoms frequently appear suddenly. Sometimes their onset can take a day or two. Some of the symptoms of meningitis are common to flu, viral hepatitis, encephalitis, and other viral infections. So, it is important to know about those symptoms that really help to distinguish between the illnesses.
The main meningitis symptoms include high fever, headache, nausea, mental confusion, sensitivity to light, convulsions, apathy, and in certain cases skin rash. In newborns, the symptoms manifest themselves in the form of a bulge on the fontanelle (the soft part of the top of the head) and fever.
Other symptoms in them include refusal to a feed, tiredness, and continuous crying and irritability. Some infants may stare blankly into space, whimper, and have a decreased appetite and difficulty waking up. The affected child may arch its back and retract its neck.
In older children, the symptoms include a stiff neck and a severe headache. They have fever, vomiting, they feel sleepy, and find bright lights difficult to bear. They may become unconscious. A rash may develop on their skin. At first it may appear as tiny red dots that prick. Later it may change color to purple. Some children have cold hands and feet. Others may develop ache in joints and muscles. Some patients may have a pale skin.
In adults, meningitis usually presents in the form of mild headache, chills and slight fever, stiff neck, confusion, and nausea or vomiting. Convulsions and dizziness are also a frequently found symptom in meningitis. Some of the infrequently found symptoms include loss of sensation in the face or localized weakness.
Jaundice or diarrhea is sometimes found in meningitis sufferers. Some patients may complain of pain in the joints. A bruise like rash may be seen in a number of patients. Older persons tend to be more affected by meningitis than are younger adults.
A sure sign of meningitis is when the patient cannot straighten his leg when the hip is flexed at 90 degrees because of stiffness. This is known as Kernig's sign. Pregnant women need to be on their guard against meningitis. This is because there will hardly be any visible symptoms, whereas the child she bears may be affected fatally.
Although the viral form of meningitis subsides gradually and no treatment is required for it, you do not know that it is of viral origin. In contrast to this, the bacterial form can even threaten a patient's life. The symptoms of both forms invariably remain the same. Therefore the best thing to do when you observe the symptoms of meningitis in your family member is to take him/her immediately to a doctor.
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