Meningitis: causes and symptoms

Meningitis in children

General

Meningitis, also known as meningitis, is acute inflammation of the meninges. The meninges are very important for the brain because they take on a wide variety of tasks. They are responsible for the blood supply to the brain, for protection against mechanical effects and for the drainage of the cerebrospinal fluid formed in the brain. Since meningitis disturbs the temperature and water balance, it is very dangerous, especially for babies and small children.

Causes of meningitis

The bacterial pathogens that most commonly cause meningitis are meningococci, pneumococci, and the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae. The bacteria reside in the throat and are usually harmless. Meningitis can only occur when your child’s immune system is severely attacked. Then the germs reach the meninges via the blood and cause the inflammation.

Meningitis can also occur as a complication of other infections, such as pneumonia or tuberculosis. Meningococci are transmitted by the so-called droplet infection. But a tick can also trigger virus-related tick-borne encephalitis. Especially in newborns, meningitis can also result from simple infections with Escherichia coli or streptococci.

Symptoms of meningitis

The meningitis is usually fully developed after a day or two, sometimes even after a few hours. The typical symptoms are stiff neck, headache, sensitivity to light or touch. In infants, there may also be vomiting and speech disorders, in babies there may also be startleiness, abnormal sleepiness, high-pitched crying, sudden refusal to eat, and a bulging fontanel.

Your child may also get a high fever and lose their appetite. Fatigue and sometimes epileptic seizures or a rash with light to dark red dots or spots may also occur. No matter which symptom your child has, you absolutely have to go to the doctor or go directly to a hospital.

Meningitis: therapy and course

If meningitis is suspected, an antibiotic is immediately prescribed, which must be taken for 8-10 days. If the suspicion is confirmed, your child has to be hospitalized for 7-14 days. As long as the original causative agent of meningitis has not been identified, your child will be treated with a combination of different antibiotics and an antiviral agent. Only when the pathogen has been identified can the antibiotic be reduced.

Meningitis caused by a virus is usually milder than a bacterial infection and does not require antibiotic treatment. In a baby or young child, any bacterial meningitis is an emergency and requires hospital care. Your child definitely needs enough fluids and should not be dressed too warmly if they have a fever, as there is a risk of heat build-up.

Caution: If bacterial meningitis is left untreated, it ends fatally in most cases.

Prevent meningitis

You should always strengthen your child’s immune system and avoid contact with sick people. Since 2006 there are also various vaccinations that are recommended. You can have your child vaccinated against meningococci and pneumococci. From the 3rd month of life an additional Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination can be started and from the 1st year of life a vaccination against encephalitis, which is transmitted by ticks.

You can read about what else you can do to have a strong immune system in our “Healthy Year-round Special”.