Recognizing symptoms of bacterial meningitis is crucial as it can be fatal if left untreated. Symptoms include fever, stiff neck, headache, altered mental status, poor balance, nausea/vomiting, photophobia, and seizures. Vaccines are available for some forms of the disease.
The symptoms of bacterial meningitis are important to recognize because left untreated, meningitis can be a serious or even fatal disease. While there are vaccines that prevent some forms of the disease, knowing the symptoms, which can develop within one to seven days of exposure, helps people get treatment quickly. Some of the basic symptoms of bacterial meningitis in people over the age of two are fever, stiff neck, headache, altered mental status, poor balance, nausea/vomiting, photophobia, and seizures. In children younger than the two classic symptoms are fever, lethargy, inactivity, vomiting, disinterest in eating, irritability, and potentially seizures.
Patients older than two years should not show all the symptoms of bacterial meningitis. The most common include fever, headache, stiff neck and altered mood. The fever is quite high, averaging 101.8 degrees F (38.78 C) plus or minus about two degrees Fahrenheit. You may see a temperature in the normal range, although generally the fever is higher or temperatures may be about four degrees or more above normal. The headache is usually pronounced and severe, and many people may have impaired awareness, not respond appropriately to questions, or simply appear confused.
Torticollis in patients over the age of two is one of the most prominent symptoms of bacterial meningitis, often making it easy to differentiate this disease from other conditions such as the flu. Doctors have a simple test to evaluate neck movement and screen for the condition. Someone with this condition usually cannot touch their chin to their chest or tilt their head back to look up. This symptom alone may be enough to make a tentative diagnosis of meningitis, unless problems like a recent neck injury explain it better.
Nausea and poor balance are less common symptoms of bacterial meningitis. Approximately 30-35% of patients experience nausea which, when combined with more recognizable signs of illness, may indicate an infection. Changes in balance ability aren’t always present, but with other symptoms of bacterial meningitis they help in the diagnosis. Photophobia or great discomfort in bright light or sunlight can also indicate this infection, but many disorders and some medications cause photophobia.
Children under the age of two have different symptoms, and these need to be noted by their parents or caregivers so that bacterial meningitis, which can be so severe in young people, receives prompt treatment. Healthcare providers should always seek help when children under two have fever, irritability, lethargy, and disinterest in food. The classic signs of stiff neck and headache may be missed or absent in infants and young children. Vomiting may occur more often in this age group and generally the behavior along with fever and other symptoms is different than usual, with children being extremely inactive.
With early intervention, bacterial meningitis treatment can be successful, but the disease can become more difficult to treat as more bacteria affect the spine and brain. Some vaccinations protect against some forms of bacterial meningitis. These include the meningococcal conjugate vaccine and the Haemophilus Influenzae type B (Hib) immunization.
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