Meningitis What are the chances that my feverish baby has meningitis? Slim, but hardly negligible. Most of the 3,000 serious cases reported each year are in young children — risk is highest in the first year of life. Although the most common variety, viral meningitis, is not serious and typically disappears on its own within 10 days, bacterial meningitis comes on fast and can quickly lead to brain damage or deafness, and is fatal in 10 to 13 percent of cases. If you are at all concerned that your baby may have this illness, call your doctor. Your baby may need to be hospitalized until they can tell what kind of meningitis he has. Early treatment is essential for children with bacterial meningitis.
What is meningitis and what are the symptoms? The disease develops when infection by a virus or bacteria inflames the meninges, the membranes lining the brain and nervous system. The result can look a lot like the flu: vomiting, irritability, sometimes a high fever (above 100.4 degrees F). Often there are more ominous signs, though, such as extreme paleness, poor feeding, and a bulging fontanelle (the soft spot or spots on your baby's skull). Early diagnosis is critical. If my baby has meningitis, how do I know how serious it is? Only a doctor can tell you that. If the hallmark symptoms are there, he will do a lumbar puncture, also know as a spinal tap. This isn't a fun test; your baby will have to lie on his side in the fetal position, knees bent and pulled up, and keep still so the doctor can put a needle in his back. That's the last thing a sick, irritable baby wants to do, so you will probably have to hold him in that position. The puncture itself is less traumatic than it sounds, however. A small hollow needle enters the space between the vertebrae (doctors use a topical anesthetic to reduce the sting) and draws a little spinal fluid for testing. The doctor will also take blood and urine samples. Often the pediatrician can confirm a diagnosis of meningitis on the spot (or at least within a few hours), based on the blood test. But lab analysis of the spinal fluid is necessary to learn whether it's viral or bacterial, and the results usually take three days. With a severely sick child, you don't wait for the results. The doctor will start treatment immediately and continue unless the tests come back showing no sign of bacteria, which means the illness is assumed to be caused by a virus. ---to be continued---- __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Listen to your Yahoo! Mail messages from any phone. http://phone.yahoo.com >> Kirim bunga dukacita, ucapan selamat dll ke mancanegara? Klik, >http://www.indokado.com/international/ >> Info balita, http://www.balita-anda.indoglobal.com Etika berinternet, email ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Stop berlangganan, e-mail ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
