Diagnosis

The diagnosis of meningitis is particularly difficult in newborns. The symptoms of fever, headaches and neck stiffness that occur in adults may be mild in infants or absent at first. Often these symptoms do not occur until the disease is at an advanced stage.

In particular, the typical neck stiffness (meningismus) rarely occurs in small children and is difficult to diagnose. To confirm the diagnosis, a physician removes brain and spinal fluid from the baby in the area of the lumbar spine (lumbar puncture). If bacterial meningitis is suspected, treatment with antibiotics should be started before the diagnosis is confirmed.

What are the signs?

The first signs of meningitis in babies vary greatly. Often, high fever can be measured in babies in the early stages of the disease. The high fever often occurs with an abrupt change in the baby’s behavior.

The babies appear tired and absent and are characterized by constant crying and crying and a whiny behavior. If meningitis is suspected, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible in order to make a reliable diagnosis. The earlier a therapy can be started, the lower the risk of possible complications caused by the disease.

Symptoms

The spectrum of symptoms that can occur in meningitis is very broad. The individual symptoms may be weakly pronounced or may not occur at all. The order in which these symptoms are recognized in the newborn also varies from child to child.

Because the baby’s immune system is not yet fully developed, the symptoms of meningitis can be more severe than in an adult. Classical symptoms of meningitis are fever and headache. The fever is usually accompanied by cold hands or feet.

Neck stiffness, which is typical in adults, does not usually occur in newborns or is difficult to diagnose.The babies are characterized by a general malaise – unusual crying or whimpering (constant and uninterrupted crying), refusal to eat and whining behaviour when touched are typical. In addition, babies show increased fatigue and associated difficulties in waking up. Since the skull bone in newborns is not yet completely ossified, a protrusion of the fontanel may occur in the context of meningitis.

In addition, typical skin changes are possible, especially in the case of advanced disease. While in some babies the entire skin may appear pale and spotty, other babies may have typical spot-like rashes. If the bacteria spread from the meninges through the blood circulation in the body and multiply rapidly (sepsis), small, punctiform bleedings may occur in the skin.

Without treatment, this rash develops into a kind of bruise that turns increasingly purple and finally turns completely discolored. This rash occurs in babies, especially in the advanced stages of meningitis, and is life-threatening. A rapid deterioration in health is possible after the onset of these symptoms. An emergency room should be visited quickly.