The symptoms of meningitis vary and depend both on the age of the child and on the cause of the infection. Because the flu-like symptoms can be similar in both types of meningitis, particularly in the early stages, and bacterial meningitis can be very serious, it's important to quickly diagnose an infection.
Symptoms generally appear within 1 week of exposure. Illness usually lasts less than 10 days, and people usually recover completely without complications.
The first symptoms of bacterial or viral meningitis can come on quickly or surface several days after a child has had a cold and runny nose, diarrhea and vomiting, or other signs of an infection.
Common symptoms include:
- fever
- lethargy (decreased consciousness)
- irritability
- headache
- photophobia (eye sensitivity to light)
- stiff neck
- skin rashes
- seizures
Infants with meningitis may not have those symptoms, and might simply be extremely irritable, lethargic, or have a fever. They may be difficult to comfort, even when they are picked up and rocked.
Other symptoms of meningitis in infants can include :
- jaundice (a yellowish tint to the skin)
- stiffness of the body and neck (neck rigidity)
- fever or lower-than-normal temperature
- poor feeding
- a weak suck
- a high-pitched cry
- bulging fontanelles (the soft spot at the top/front of the baby's skull)
Viral meningitis tends to cause flu-like symptoms, such as fever and runny nose, and may be so mild that the illness goes undiagnosed. Most cases of viral meningitis resolve completely within 7 to 10 days, without any complications or need for treatment.
By Larissa Hirsch, MD
The above information thankfully comes from the kidshealth.org at the following link.
