careful! If a child continues to have a fever, vomiting, and lethargy, it is not necessarily gastroenteritis or a cold. It is one of the most serious infectious diseases in children that is easy to occur but difficult to diagnose and easily misdiagnosed – meningitis!
Five-year-old Xiao Zhen had fever, vomiting, and drowsiness for many days in a row. Her parents thought it was gastroenteritis, until Xiao Zhen gradually lost consciousness and became incoherent. Her parents were so frightened that they sent her to the hospital for emergency treatment. After a lumbar puncture, After examination, Xiaozhen was diagnosed with meningitis. The doctor reminded that if the meningitis infection is not treated immediately, be careful to leave neurological sequelae of the brain!
Fever and vomiting can easily be confused with a cold in the early stages of meningitis
Huang Siwei, a pediatric emergency department physician at Wanfang Hospital, explained that “meningitis” refers to bacteria or viruses traveling to the brain and spinal cord to form an inflammatory infection. Common symptoms include headache, nausea, coma, etc. It is one of the most serious infectious diseases in children. Infectious diseases are also diseases that are relatively easy to occur but difficult to diagnose.
The early symptoms of meningitis are easily confused with those of a common cold. If not treated in time, neurological sequelae may occur!
3 tips to identify meningitis: persistent headache, confusion, repeated nausea
Huang Siwei proposed three ways to identify meningitis. If parents observe similar conditions in their children at home, they need to seek medical examination immediately to help their children receive immediate treatment.
1. Persistent severe headache–cannot be relieved by medication, and severe pain continues after the fever subsides.
2. Unconsciousness─Unable to communicate normally (sluggishness) and listless, often falling asleep.
3. Repeated vomiting – no gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal pain or diarrhea, but vomiting does not stop.
The treatment methods for meningitis vary according to the properties of the pathogen. For viral meningitis, supportive therapy is generally used. If the infection is more serious, antiviral drugs or immunoglobulins are used for treatment; bacterial meningitis is a serious infection. , antibiotic treatment is required for at least one week, and if the condition does not improve, the course of treatment will be extended by two to four weeks.
Meningitis is highly contagious and requires precautions
Since meningitis is a contagious disease, it is spread through the air or the patient’s nose and throat secretions, or through the fecal-oral route. Therefore, after recovery from treatment, care must be taken to prevent reinfection, especially now that the ban on masks has been completely lifted, and oral droplet infection is prevalent. During this period, Huang Siwei suggested that washing hands frequently, wearing masks when entering public places, maintaining good hygiene habits, not staying up late, and getting regular vaccinations, such as pneumococcal vaccine, meningococcal type B vaccine, etc., can all be considered. Discuss with your doctor whether to administer an injection.
Organized/Lin Yiping
Data source/Wanfang Hospital
For the complete content, please see:[Baby and Mother]
2023-09-23 06:40:54
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