Enterovirus infection at the moment has become increasingly common in children and adults. This is due to the fact that the disease causes a large number of viruses called enteroviruses (of their order of 90 species), which are quite easily spread by airborne droplets and through dirty hands, common dishes and toys. You can transfer one of the forms of the disease caused by a certain species, you will have immunity to it, but there are still many other species, and in addition, viruses can mutate, and protection against them has not yet been developed. In addition, in the case of this infection, a variant of asymptomatic virus carrying is possible: such a carrier person is healthy, you or your child calmly communicate with him, and then you are sick with the whole family. Enterovirus infection exists in many forms, disguising itself as other diseases. It is especially important for parents to know the symptoms of meningitis (enterovirus infection) in order to sound the alarm in time.
Forms of enterovirus infection
Life-threatening diseases
- Carrier virus.
- A three-day fever, with a rash similar to rubella on the skin; the disease can occur without a rash.
- Herpetic tonsillitis: whitish blisters are found on the oral mucosa.
- Flu-like form.
- Gastroenteritis: manifests as diarrhea and vomiting, which quickly pass.
- Pleurodinia: against the background of high temperature in the abdomen, back, chest or legs, severe pains are noted, they are repeated with some frequency, in the interictal period, the state of health is normal.
- Conjunctivitis.
- Uveitis: observed in young children, it looks like redness and a change in the color of the iris, and the entire eye (if there is no previous shape) is normal in color.
Heavy forms
- Acute paralysis, which usually ends in complete recovery.
- Heart diseases: myocarditis, pericarditis.
- Hepatitis.
- Serous meningitis. Symptoms of enterovirus infection meningitis will be described below.
- Encephalitis (damage to the substance of the brain itself), meningoencephalitis.
How does enteroviral meningitis manifest?
Outbreaks of the disease are noted with a frequency of 5 years, which is associated with the cycle of virus mutations; individual cases occur every year, have summer-autumn seasonality. Symptoms of meningitis (enterovirus infection) can occur acutely, without any preliminary signs of the disease, but more often in the beginning there are signs very similar to acute respiratory infections (runny nose, fever, sore throat) or after a slight and short-term thinning of the stool, accompanied by bouts of pain in the stomach.
Most often children 2-5 years old and teenagers 14-19 years old suffer from meningitis. Most cases come from the seas in late July-September. At the same time, almost all children note that they froze in water or were swallowed while swimming.
Symptoms of meningitis (enterovirus infection)
The disease begins with a fever up to high numbers and a severe headache. Such pain can even occur at night and wake the patient. The localization of pain is usually in the frontal region or "throughout the head." The pain is somewhat reduced in a certain position of the body, so the child can be found in bed fully conscious, but lying on his side with his head bowed and legs pressed to his chest, or lying on his back with legs bent. Almost everyone complains that bright lights and loud sounds intensify pain in the head. It becomes painful to move the eyeballs themselves and turn their heads, so the child asks to speak with him at a convenient distance so that he does not have to follow the interlocutor.
Vomiting is also noted, after which it does not become easier. Vomiting may be repeated. The patient notes weakness, tries to lie all the time, refuses food.
Rarely, with enteroviral meningitis, there are convulsions against the background of a slightly elevated body temperature or delirium, hallucinosis.
Infectious diseases in children caused by enteroviruses (including meningitis) give the child's face a characteristic look: blush on the cheeks, eyes reddish, lips dry and bright red, the nasolabial triangle is pale. With meningitis, the picture is complemented by facial tension (the child tries not to move, so as not to intensify the pain in the head).
Enterovirus infection in children: treatment
Light forms are treated at home, severe - in a hospital. Hospitalization for suspected meningitis is mandatory.
For the antiviral purpose, interferon preparations are used - synthetic analogues of our own same substance, which in our body is responsible for the fight against viruses. These are such drugs as Cycloferon, Viferon, Lockeron, Laferobion. They can be used in suppositories, tablets or injections.
In case of serous meningitis , the purpose of normal human immunoglobulin is also indicated (its commercial name is “Bioven Mono”). These are ready-made antibodies that will help cope with the infection. Symptomatic and pathogenetic therapy is also used, aimed at improving blood supply to the brain, reducing inflammatory reactions, and preventing cerebral edema.