Introduction

Dr. Ivan Konovalov, an infectious disease doctor, said that viral meningitis in children usually responds well to treatment if diagnosed early and treated promptly.

Manifestation and Causes

In an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, the doctor pointed out that viral meningitis in children first manifests itself as a common respiratory infection, but then the symptoms increase.

According to him, meningitis is not a diagnosis, but a process of inflammation of the membranes of the brain (meninges), the causes of which are numerous and varied. If we talk about viral meningitis, then its course is mild and does not cause health problems in children if it is treated in a timely manner.

He says: “Intestinal viruses (such as meningococci) often cause outbreaks during the warm season, swimming in pools and enclosed bodies of water, as well as dirty hands and direct contact.”

Symptoms and Diagnosis

In adults, enterovirus usually causes symptoms such as a respiratory infection, fever, and sometimes indigestion, he said. With regard to young children, schoolchildren, and sometimes adolescents, they may develop an acute form of the disease, for example, viral meningitis.

He says: “Their infection is often acute, accompanied by fever, there may also be the appearance of the so-called meningeal signs, as well as specific symptoms, including severe headache, vomiting that does not bring relief, loss of consciousness, convulsions.”

And the doctor points out that the symptoms of the disease usually do not differ from other respiratory infections, since this condition can last for several days, as happens with a common respiratory or intestinal infection.

He says: “However, in intestinal viral meningitis, neurological symptoms are usually accompanied by a relapse of high fever about a week after the onset of the disease. In addition to headaches, against the background of a second wave of high fever and poor general health, signs of damage to the nervous system, such as frequent vomiting, may appear. Therefore, such patients are hospitalized in the department of intestinal infection or surgery. excess fluid in the cavities of the spinal cord and brain.

Treatment and Prevention

According to him, the main mechanism of damage caused by viral meningitis is hyperincretion of cerebrospinal fluid – an increase in intracranial pressure and pressure in the spinal cord, so lumbar puncture leads to a significant improvement in the patient’s condition.

Source: Izvestia newspaper.