Once the doctors of the Middle Ages were forced to make diagnoses, guided only by complaints and those symptoms that genius scientists invented to check. Then, diabetes was even diagnosed based on a patient’s urine sample tasting: sweet urine — high blood sugar. Later, various methods were invented to help the doctor diagnose, including laboratory tests. Since that time, a lot of diseases have been described, and some symptoms could well fit several diseases with a different mechanism and treatment.
What is this preface for? In addition, to find the answer to the question: “What are the symptoms of meningitis?”, You were in no hurry to take off or make a diagnosis that is confirmed only on the basis of lumbar puncture. The signs and symptoms that give the basis for this puncture will be described below.
Why lumbar puncture?
Meningitis is serous and purulent. Often it is impossible to distinguish them without a puncture, meanwhile, the treatment of these two variants of the disease is radically different. Even the presence of a characteristic hemorrhagic rash does not mean that a person has developed meningitis. This can only mean that a person has meningococcal (less commonly, pneumococcal or
hemophilic influenza bacillus) sepsis, in which meningitis develops almost always, but not the fact that it now exists. Such a disease itself is very dangerous and without meningitis, therefore, if you see such a rash on yourself or on someone from your family, do not waste time reading the symptoms of meningitis, call an ambulance.
In addition, a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid will be taken during the puncture, part of it will be sent for bacteriological examination, according to the results of which after 3-5 days it will be clear which microbe caused the disease and which antibiotic should be replaced with the existing therapy. If serous meningitis is determined, then 0.5 ml of cerebrospinal fluid can be sent for PCR for the genome of herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr viruses, which are the most life-threatening meningitis pathogens.
What are the symptoms of meningitis determined?
The disease can begin with catarrhal phenomena: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat. The first symptoms of a microbe entering the body (these are not symptoms of meningitis) can be an increase in body temperature, weakness, lethargy, a rash of non-allergic nature or signs characteristic of "childhood" viral infections: measles, rubella, chickenpox. Sometimes at the beginning of the disease there may be suppurative otitis media, sinusitis or phlegmon of the soft tissues of the face or jaw.
The first symptoms of meningitis are:
- the occurrence of severe headache in the temples, forehead or in the whole head; pain intensifies with rises, turns of the head. May intensify with loud noises, light (photophobia), pressure on the eyeballs. Such pain is relieved with painkillers at first for a short time, and then completely stops responding to them;
- increase in body temperature: characteristic - up to high numbers, but this is not always the case: it all depends on the microbe and the state of the body, its protective system;
- lethargy, weakness, drowsiness;
- increased skin sensitivity: the usual touch to the patient is unpleasant.
- nausea, vomiting without any connection with the food taken the day before.
In young children, the first symptoms of meningitis can be monotonous crying, anxiety, breast abandonment, bulging of a large fontanel. The baby becomes tearful or so sleepy that it is difficult to wake him up, takes a pose in bed with his head bowed, and resists, if you take it on the hands. Sometimes, the only
sign of meningitis in a child may be convulsions against a background of not very high body temperature.
The following symptoms of adult meningitis are:
- impaired consciousness: this may be inadequacy against the background of excitement, which is then replaced by oppression of consciousness up to a coma, when a person does not even respond to strong irritants;
- cramps: against the background of meningitis, they also occur in adults;
- delirium;
- hallucinosis;
- a pose on the side with the head thrown back and legs bent.
Infectious Meningitis: Symptoms
Meningococcus is the only pathogen that, transmitted by airborne droplets from a patient with meningitis, can cause meningitis in another person (for other microbes, these are casuistic cases).
The symptoms described above are characteristic of meningococcal meningitis. They can appear both acutely and 1-2 days after the appearance of a purulent runny nose against the background of phenomena of severe intoxication and fever.
Another symptom that occurs with meningococcal meningitis can be a rash. It is called hemorrhagic, that is, due to the impregnation of the skin with blood (I must say that such impregnations also occur in the internal organs, including the adrenal glands and the brain).
Rash:
a) rises above the skin;
b) does not fade when stretching the skin under it or pressing on it with glass (for example, a glass);
c) does not itch;
d) usually begins with the buttocks, then the lower legs, forearms, hands and feet, gradually spreading to the entire body;
e) it is characterized by the fusion of several elements and the occurrence of necrosis - areas of dead skin.
What symptoms does a doctor check for meningitis?
- Stiff neck muscles. Normally (if there is no pathology of the cervical spine) in the supine position, a person can reach with his chin to the sternum. If this is not possible, the symptom is considered positive.
- If, when checking for the first symptom, the legs bend at the knees and pull toward the stomach, this may also indicate meningitis.
- It is not possible to straighten a leg in the knee that was previously bent at the knee and hip joints.
- When pressing on the bones over the pubis, the legs bend.
- In children, this symptom is checked instead of the previous ones: they take its armpits, holding the head, it pulls the legs to the chest and holds them so (normally the child moves his legs, bends them and bends them).