Symptoms of Meningitis

Symptoms of meningitis can include high fever, lethargy, loss of consciousness, and irritability. Older children often display signs of headaches, photophobia (eye sensitivity to light), and a stiff neck.

Meningitis symptoms of other types of meningitis can include skin rashes, however the rashes caused by bacterial meningitis usually look different from those rashes caused by viral meningitis.  Seizures can also be a feature of meningitis as well.

Newborn babies and infants who have developed meningitis may not show any typical signs and symptoms of meningitis and instead can simply be exceptionally irritable or lethargic.

Infants who are not feeling well are usually comforted when their mothers hold them.  But a baby with meningitis can display something called paradoxical irritability. This happens when the child is picked up and rocked as it makes the baby more distressed.

Symptoms of meningitis in infants can include:
• jaundice (a yellowish tint to the skin),
• a stiffness of the body and neck (neck rigidity),
• a mild fever,
• a lower-than-normal temperature,
• poor feeding and a weak suck, and,
• A higher-pitched cry.

A bulging fontanelle on the baby's head (The soft spot on the babies head) can be another symptom. The symptoms of meningitis can vary greatly, and depend on the age of the child and on the factor which is causing the infection.

For example, the symptoms of viral meningitis are usually milder than those of bacterial meningitis.

However, the symptoms of bacterial and viral meningitis cases can also be very similar, especially during the early stages of the disease.  Because of this, prompt and accurate identification of the infectious agent is crucial to the effective treatment and the patient's recovery.

The first symptoms of meningitis may surface several days after a child has had a cold and runny nose, stomach ache, headache, fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, or any other signs of a bacterial or viral infection.

Meningitis Diagnosis

At first, a doctor will perform a physical examination of the patient.If however meningitis is suspected, then laboratory tests will be conducted make an accurate diagnosis.

These tests may include a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to collect a sample of spinal fluid, which will be examined for signs of inflammation and cultured for the organism that may be causing the infection.