Nervous System Infections

Causes, treatment and consequences of meningitis in newborn infants

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meningitis in a newborn Meningitis is an inflammatory process of the membranes of the brain or spinal cord. Infectious disease - it is the infection of the organism with a certain bacterium that leads to the formation of purulent cavities in the brain.

Meningitis is common among newborns and infants, if not started immediately, complications and severe consequences may occur, in the worst case the child dies.

Contents

  • Features of the disease in newborn infants
  • Disease risk
  • Risk factors
  • Features of the clinical picture
  • Diseases
  • Diagnosis and differentiation
  • Special approach to therapy
  • Severe consequences and unfavorable prognosis
  • What can be done for the prevention?

Features of the disease in newborn infants

Newborn infants most often develop purulent meningitis due to birth trauma, prematurity of the fetus or sepsis.

Often the infection gets through the umbilical vessels or the placenta during the period of the mother's disease with pyelitis or pyelocystitis during pregnancy. Infectious agents: streptococci, staphylococcus and E. coli, other types of bacteria are rare.

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Meningitis in infants is characterized by severe disease, dehydration, gastrointestinal disturbances, lack of heat.

This is a dangerous disease for newborns - in 50% of cases, meningitis in infancy ends with death, while 90% of patients survive in adults.

Severe excitability or complete lethargy - these manifestations are similar to other pathologies, therefore it is possible to confirm the diagnosis in a hospital with the help of a fence for the study of cerebrospinal fluid.

It's not always possible to heal completely such a small patient. They have a high percentage of complications in the form of CNS disorders: hydrocephalus with meningitis

  • hydrocephalus;
  • epilepsy;
  • mental retardation;
  • paralysis;
  • paresis of limbs and cranial nerves.

These children are under the supervision of specialists for a long time, regularly undergo examinations in order to avoid re-infection.

Danger of the disease

Meningitis in infants from birth to the year is very dangerous because half of the cases end with death, and the other half, recovering from the disease, get complications leading to disability: deafness, blindness, mental retardation.

After treatment, the baby begins a long rehabilitation, the first two years of which he must be under constant supervision of specialists, since there is a risk of an abscess in the brain - a complication can develop at any age and lead to a sharp deterioration in the child's health.

The danger of this disease is also in the fact that the child does not always have severe symptoms, for example, high fever. This is due to the lack of a formed temperature control. Therefore, with signs similar to meningitis, immediately call an ambulance, rather than self-medication.

Risk Factors

the child looks In a newborn child, meningitis develops as an independent disease, the cause of its occurrence is the infection in the infants. The most frequent pathogens in this case: staphylococcus, E. coli and streptococcus.

A greater likelihood of disease in those children who have had a CNS lesion before or during childbirth. If a child's immune system is weakened or intrauterine pathology develops, then the child risks getting meningitis more.

At risk, children born before the term. Statistics argue that meningitis is more common in boys than in girls.

Clinical features of

The clinical picture of meningitis in newborns is manifested by common neurologic symptoms:

  • lethargy;
  • decreased motor activity;
  • drowsiness;
  • frequent regurgitation and vomiting;
  • breast-failure;
  • breathing with a groan and signs of suffocation.

Symptoms of meningitis

Children weighing more than 2 kilograms may suffer from rapid temperature rises to 39 degrees. In infants, signs of meningitis can be seen in the swelling and increased pulsation of the fontanel, convulsions and tilting the head back.

In premature babies and having a small weight, the clinical picture may look different, leak in a languid form and manifest itself only at the height of the disease. This concerns the lack of bulging and pulsation of the fontanel, tilting the head. Such an "erased" clinic occurs with children born before the term and receiving antibiotics from birth.

The disease can develop rapidly, but can have a protracted character - it depends on the age, weight and condition of the child. This creates difficulties in diagnosing, but you can put the correct diagnosis by performing a spinal puncture.

Species of the disease

Infants most often develop the following types of meningitis:

  1. Viral - occurs against the background of influenza, measles, chickenpox and paratitis, so it is difficult to diagnose.
  2. Fungal - occurs in newborns born before the term and in children with weakened immunity. To infect them, the child risks directly in the hospital when the rules of hygiene are not respected.
  3. Bacterial - occurs most often, is caused by any purulent inflammation, if the infection has penetrated. With blood, it reaches the membranes of the brain and creates purulent foci. Purulent meningitis in newborns is formed when infected with such types of bacteria as hemophilic rod, meningococcus and pneumococcus. In 70% of cases, infection occurs as a meningococcal infection, which can be infected by airborne droplets, through the mouth or nose and from there into the blood. A large number of bacteria caught in the blood causes a rapid course of the disease and after 10-12 hours the child may die.

All types of the disease require different treatment methods, which the doctor must prescribe by making an accurate diagnosis.

Diagnosis and differentiation of

Diagnosis of meningitis in a newborn is carried out for the identified symptoms and blood sampling for general, biochemical analysis and medical check-up study by PCR method.

A puncture is also performed to select the cerebrospinal fluid for the study, and the presence of an inflammatory process is diagnosed.

In special and advanced cases, computer tomography can be performed, and it is also assigned for differential diagnosis. It is necessary to identify the causative agent of the disease in order to select a suitable antibiotic for the treatment of meningitis.

Differential diagnosis is performed according to the signs that are specific to this type of meningitis. For example, meningococcal meningitis is manifested by acute onset, vomiting, high fever, and convulsions and impaired consciousness appear later.

In this case, in the absence of pathology of the internal organs in the blood of the baby, there are meningococci and an increase in protein in the cerebrospinal fluid. So all types of meningitis have their own characteristic symptoms, according to which the exact diagnosis is determined.

A special approach to the therapy of

It is important to know that treatment of meningitis occurs only in a hospital setting. Do not self-medicate or use folk remedies. To begin therapy follows from an establishment of the reason of disease.

In the case of bacterial infection, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used that pass well through the GEB( blood-brain barrier):

  • Ceftriaxone;
  • Cefotaxime;
  • Gentamicin;
  • Amoxicillin and other similar drugs.

Ceftriaxone Novo Drugs are administered at the maximum dose at a long course, replacing them after 12 weeks. If the disease is viral or fungal, then antiviral or antifungal agents are administered. Introduction of intravenous injections.

The baby is also given detoxification, anticonvulsant and dehydration therapy. If cerebral edema occurs, Dexamethasone is used.

In viral or fungal lesions, the baby recovers in one to two weeks. Bacterial meningitis in infants is treated much longer and depends on the severity of the disease and the body's resistance to disease.

Severe consequences and unfavorable prognosis

This dangerous disease for newborns does not always end well, young children always experience complications, even brain damage abscess prolonged therapy is powerless in this case, the consequences are disorders in the CNS, mental retardation, deafness, blindness, hydrocephalus,bleeding disorder.

For two years there is a threat of brain abscess.

In the case of infants, infants have a mortality rate of 30% and 65% if an abscess occurs in the brain.

The prognosis for meningitis of all types depends on the cause of the disease and the form of its course. Bacterial meningitis takes place in an acute form and can result in the death of the baby. Even if the crumb survive, he will have complications that last for a long time.

Such a child is long on the account of pediatrician and infectious diseases doctors, regularly undergo examinations. If the disease was mild, the child recovers in a few weeks without consequences.

Viral meningitis takes place in a lighter form and passes after 2 weeks with timely treatment.

What can I do to prevent it?

In order to prevent babies born very weak, it is necessary to vaccinate. Because there are many different forms of the disease, even vaccination can not guarantee protection against meningitis.

Interferon Viral meningitis spreads airborne and in order to avoid infection it is required not to violate personal hygiene, heat treat food and objects that are used by all family members.

When a family has patients with ARI or ARVI, the small child should be isolated from the patient. All members of the family should use Interferon three times a day for a week - this will also reduce the risk of infection.

Also for preventive maintenance it is necessary to drink a complex of vitamins and minerals, to eat vitaminized food, not to overcool and not to walk in crowded places. This will help to protect the family from infection with meningitis, including a newborn baby.

In case of meningitis, the main thing is to quickly start treatment, this will help to avoid the death of a newborn child and help him in recovery and increase the chances of surviving. Experts argue that proper nutrition and good immunity will help the child avoid the disease.

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