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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffIt's easy to mistake the early signs and symptoms of meningitis for the flu (influenza). Meningitis signs and symptoms may develop over several hours or over one or two days and, in anyone over the age of 2, typically include:
- High fever
- Severe headache that isn't easily confused with other types of headache
- Stiff neck
- Vomiting or nausea with headache
- Confusion or difficulty concentrating — in the very young, this may appear as inability to maintain eye contact
- Seizures
- Sleepiness or difficulty waking up
- Sensitivity to light
- Lack of interest in drinking and eating
- Skin rash in some cases, such as in viral or meningococcal meningitis
Signs in newborns
Newborns and infants may not have the classic signs and symptoms of headache and stiff neck. Instead, signs of meningitis in this age group may include:
- High fever
- Constant crying
- Excessive sleepiness or irritability
- Inactivity or sluggishness
- Poor feeding
- A bulge in the soft spot on top of a baby's head (fontanel)
- Stiffness in a baby's body and neck
- Seizures
Infants with meningitis may be difficult to comfort, and may even cry harder when picked up.
When to see a doctor
Seek medical care right away if you or someone in your family has signs or symptoms of meningitis, such as:
- Fever
- Severe, unrelenting headache
- Confusion
- Vomiting
- Stiff neck
There's no way to know what kind of meningitis you or your child has without seeing your doctor and undergoing spinal fluid testing.
- Viral meningitis may improve without treatment in a few days.
- Bacterial meningitis is serious, can come on very quickly and requires prompt antibiotic treatment to improve the chances of a recovery without serious complications. Delaying treatment for bacterial meningitis increases the risk of permanent brain damage or death. In addition, bacterial meningitis can prove fatal in a matter of days.
Also talk to your doctor if a family member or someone you work with has meningitis. You may need to take medications to prevent getting sick.
- Meningitis questions & answers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/about/faq.html. Accessed June 8, 2010.
- Tunkel AR. Clinical features and diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 1, 2010.
- Meningitis and encephalitis fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/encephalitis_meningitis/detail_encephalitis_meningitis.htm. Accessed June 8, 2010.
- Johnson RP. Aseptic meningitis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 8, 2010.
- Meningococcal vaccines: What you need to know. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-mening.pdf. Accessed June 8, 2010.
- FDA approves the first vaccine to prevent meningococcal disease in infants and toddlers. FDA. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm252392.htm. Accessed April 27, 2011.
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