Meningitis, also often referred to as spinal meningitis, is inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is usually caused by a viral infection, but it can sometimes be bacterial or fungal in origin. Depending on the type of infection, this disease can be treatable or life-threatening.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Recognizing the Symptoms in Adults and Children
Step 1. Watch out for headaches
Headache caused by inflammation of the meninges, the membranes around the brain and spinal cord, is different from other types of headache. This is much more intense than the pain caused by dehydration or that of a migraine. In the case of meningitis, the headache is persistent and very strong.
- This type of headache does not subside after taking over-the-counter pain relievers.
- If you experience a severe headache but do not have other symptoms typical of meningitis, it could be due to some other disease. However, if it persists for more than a day or two, you should see your doctor.
Step 2. Determine if nausea and vomiting are associated with the headache
Migraines often cause these symptoms as well, so their presence doesn't automatically mean you have meningitis. However, it is important to pay close attention to other symptoms if you or the person you are concerned about feel sick enough to throw up.
Step 3. Check for fever
If you have a high fever in addition to other symptoms, then it could actually be meningitis rather than flu or sore throat. Measure the temperature of the sick person to check for fever, in order to have a complete symptomatic picture.
Meningitis typically causes a fever around 38.3 ° C, but if it exceeds 39.4 ° C the problem begins to cause some concern
Step 4. Determine the presence of neck stiffness and pain
This is a very common symptom in people with meningitis. The stiffness and pain are caused by the pressure exerted by the inflamed meninges. If you or an acquaintance have these symptoms, which are not associated with other typical causes of pain and stiffness (for example, from muscle tension or whiplash), then it could be meningitis.
If these symptoms begin to appear, have the person lie on their back and ask them to bend or flex their hips. If you experience neck pain doing this movement, you most likely have meningitis
Step 5. Pay attention to the difficulty of concentration
Since the membranes around the brain become inflamed in meningitis, it is quite normal for patients to experience cognitive difficulties. If the person can't finish reading an article, focus on a conversation, or get a job done, and all of this is accompanied by a very severe headache, then you should be worried.
- The patient is unable to act alone and tends to be more sleepy and lethargic than usual.
- In rare cases, it fails to respond to stimuli and can go into a coma.
Step 6. Notice if you have photophobia
This disorder consists of intense pain caused by light. Eye pain and sensitivity to light are associated with meningitis in adults. If you or someone you know have difficulty getting outside or can't stay in a particularly bright room, you should go to the doctor.
This symptom initially manifests as a general sensitivity to light or discomfort to particularly bright light. Check if this symptom accompanies those described so far
Step 7. Watch out for seizures
Seizures are uncontrolled movements of the body, often very violent, which can also cause loss of bladder control and a feeling of general disorientation. Immediately after a seizure the patient often cannot tell what year and place he is in or his age.
- If the person is epileptic or has previously suffered from seizures and convulsions, these symptoms probably do not indicate meningitis.
- If you run into someone who is having seizures, call 911. Have the person lie on their side and remove any objects they could injure themselves from the area. Most of the time these seizures spontaneously end within a couple of minutes.
Step 8. Watch out for telltale rashes
Some types of meningitis, such as meningococcal, can have this symptom. The rashes are reddish or purplish in color, appear in patches and may be a sign of septicemia. If you notice them, the glass test can help you figure out if they are related to meningitis:
- Press a glass against the rashes; use a clear one so you can see them through the glass.
- If the skin under the glass does not turn white, it means that there is blood poisoning and you need to go to the hospital immediately.
- Not all types of meningitis have this symptom, so the absence of rashes on the skin should not make you rule out this disease a priori.
Part 2 of 3: Controlling Symptoms in Infants
Step 1. Be aware of the diagnostic difficulties
Diagnosing meningitis in children - and especially infants - is a real challenge for even the most experienced pediatricians. There are so many benign, self-limiting viral syndromes that have similar symptoms, such as a fever or baby crying, that it can be really difficult to distinguish those typical of meningitis. This has led many hospitals and doctors to create a protocol according to which any case with compatible symptoms should be considered meningitis, especially for babies 3 months or younger who have so far only had one vaccine.
With a good vaccination schedule, the number of meningitis cases has dropped significantly. The viral form still manifests, but is moderate, self-limiting, and requires minimal care
Step 2. Check if the fever is high
In the case of meningitis, infants, like children and adults, also have a high fever. Measure your baby's temperature; whether or not it is this disease, if he has a fever you must take him to the pediatrician.
Step 3. Check for constant crying
The causes could be multiple and due to other types of problems; but if the baby seems particularly agitated and does not calm down if you change him, breastfeed him or with the other remedies you usually use, you should call the doctor. Continuous crying, when contextual with other symptoms, can be a sign of meningitis.
- There is no way to console the crying caused by meningitis. Pay attention if the baby cries as usual or in a different way.
- Some parents have found that, in the presence of this disease, the child becomes even more agitated when picked up.
- With meningitis, the baby often cries in a higher tone of voice than usual.
Step 4. Pay attention to a state of sleepiness and inactivity
A generally active child who experiences sudden laziness, sleepiness, and susceptibility may have meningitis. See if he is behaving clearly abnormally, especially if he is less conscious and cannot fully wake up.
Step 5. Check for weaker suckling during feedings
This is also a typical symptom of meningitis. If you find that your baby is having difficulty sucking milk, contact your pediatrician right away.
Step 6. Notice the changes in the baby's neck and body
If you feel that he is having difficulty moving his head or his body feels particularly stiff and tense, this could be a sign of meningitis.
- The baby may experience pain around the neck or back. It may be a simple stiffness at first, but if you feel it is in pain when moving, the problem is probably more serious. Notice if he automatically brings his feet to his chest when you bend his neck forward or if he has pain when he bends his legs.
- He may also not be able to straighten his legs when his hips are bent at 90 degrees. You may notice this behavior when you change his diaper and find that you can't straighten his legs.
Part 3 of 3: Recognizing the Differences Between the Different Forms of Meningitis
Step 1. Learn about viral meningitis
Generally this form is self-limiting and disappears on its own. Some types of viruses, such as herpes simplex (HSV) and HIV, require targeted and specific therapies with antiviral drugs. Viral meningitis spreads among people by contact and is mainly caused by a kind of virus, called enterovirus, which is most prevalent in late summer and early autumn.
Although viral meningitis can spread with simple contact between people, it is actually quite rare
Step 2. Learn about Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus)
There are three types of bacteria that can cause bacterial meningitis, which is the most troubling and even deadly. Generally pneumococcus is the most common among infants, young children and adults. However, it is possible to get vaccinated against this bacterium, so it is treatable. It usually develops from a sinus or ear infection, and you should be especially vigilant if a person experiences symptoms of meningitis after having such an infection.
Some people have a higher risk of pneumococcal bacterial meningitis, for example patients who have had a splenectomy (removal of the spleen) and older people. For them, vaccination is a must
Step 3. Learn about Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus)
This is another cause of bacterial meningitis, it is highly contagious and mostly affects healthy teenagers and young people. It spreads from subject to subject, and outbreaks mostly occur in schools or dormitories. This form is potentially lethal and causes significant damage to many organs, including the brain; leads to death if not diagnosed quickly and treated with intravenous antibiotics.
- This type of bacterium also has the characteristic of causing a "petechial" rash, that is to say a rash similar to many small bruises; this is an important aspect to keep in mind.
- Children aged 11-12 should be vaccinated and boostered when they are 16 years old. If no vaccine has been given before and the boy is already 16, only one injection is sufficient.
Step 4. Find out about "Haemophilus influenzae"
This is the third bacterium that causes bacterial meningitis and is very common among infants and children. However, as a vaccination protocol has been introduced, cases have significantly reduced. However, it must be recognized that, with the presence of immigrants from other countries who do not follow a vaccination routine and the behavior of parents who do not subject their children to vaccinations for ethical reasons or personal beliefs, there is no total protection against this form of meningitis.
It is important to keep track of all the vaccinations that you have been subjected to, even better if with a vaccination certificate or through the yellow vaccine booklet, so that the different forms of meningitis can be considered or excluded
Step 5. Learn about fungal meningitis
It is a rather rare form and occurs almost exclusively in people with AIDS or who have a compromised immune system. It is one of the diseases that contributes to the diagnosis of full-blown AIDS, because the patient has extremely low immune defenses, is incredibly weak and risks contracting almost all infections. The cause of this form of meningitis is the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus.
The best prevention for a person with HIV is antiretroviral therapy, which keeps the viral load low and raises the level of T lymphocytes, so that the person is protected from this type of infection
Step 6. Take advantage of meningitis vaccination campaigns if needed
The groups of people listed below are particularly at risk, so they should get the vaccine:
- All children aged 11 to 18.
- The military on active duty.
- Anyone who has a damaged spleen or has had a splenectomy.
- Students living in university dormitories.
- Microbiologists exposed to the meningococcus bacterium.
- Anyone suffering from immunodeficiency due to late complement component deficiency (a disorder of the immune system).
- Those who go to countries where there is an epidemic of meningococcal meningitis.
- Who could potentially have been exposed to the disease during an outbreak.
