What are 5 signs of bacterial meningitis?
Symptoms
- Sudden high fever.
- Stiff neck.
- Severe headache that seems different from normal.
- Headache with nausea or vomiting.
- Confusion or difficulty concentrating.
- Seizures.
- Sleepiness or difficulty waking.
- Sensitivity to light.
What does your head feel like when you have meningitis?
An adult may notice a painful, stiff neck during the acute phase of meningitis. Brain swelling and headache resulting from meningitis can result in light sensitivity and a worsening headache when looking toward a light. Babies or children may cry or turn away from light.
What part of the head hurts with meningitis?
The symptoms of both viral and bacterial meningitis are similar. Usually headache is the predominant symptom, but fever is also usually present and the neck is stiff. Bending the neck forward greatly aggravates the pain. The headache is generalized all over the head.
Why is head end elevated in meningitis?
The elevation in protein is thought to be due to damage to the blood-brain barrier and leakage of serum proteins into the CSF. CSF proteins are usually highest in bacterial meningitis and can reach 1,000 mg/dL.
Does meningitis go away without treatment?
Most people who get mild viral meningitis usually recover completely in 7 to 10 days without treatment. Antiviral medicine may help people with meningitis caused by viruses such as herpesvirus and influenza. Antibiotics do not help viral infections, so they are not useful in the treatment of viral meningitis.
Can u have meningitis without fever?
Symptoms of Viral Meningitis Viral meningitis usually begins with symptoms of a viral infection, such as fever, a general feeling of illness (malaise), cough, muscle aches, vomiting, loss of appetite, and headache. However, occasionally, people have no symptoms at first.
What is the most serious meningitis?
Bacterial meningitis is the most serious type of meningitis. It can lead to death or permanent disability. It is a medical emergency. Meningitis affects the meninges, the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord and protect the central nervous system (CNS), together with the cerebrospinal fluid.
Does meningitis require surgery?
No surgical therapy is usually indicated in patients with viral meningitis. In rare patients in whom viral meningitis is complicated by hydrocephalus, a CSF diversion procedure, such as ventriculoperitoneal (VP) or LP shunting, may be required.
What causes a headache and stiff neck in meningitis?
The swelling from meningitis typically triggers symptoms such as headache, fever and a stiff neck. Most cases of meningitis in the United States are caused by a viral infection, but bacterial, parasitic and fungal infections are other causes. Some cases of meningitis improve without treatment in a few weeks.
When do the symptoms of meningitis come on?
In newborns and small infants, the symptoms of meningitis may come on rapidly, within a matter of hours. The classic meningitis symptoms of fever, headache, and neck stiffness may be absent or difficult to detect in very young babies.
What causes red dots on the skin with meningitis?
This is particularly common with meningococcal meningitis , which is associated with a rash characterized by tiny, flat, red dots on the skin. These red dots are actually caused by bleeding of tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that result from the spread of the infection outside the nervous system.
What happens when meningitis spreads to the brain?
Encephalitis: The infection and inflammation of meningitis can spread to the brain, resulting in a condition called encephalitis. Encephalitis is the infection of the brain itself, and it causes a range of symptoms and effects that may be long-lasting.