Although classified as rare, meningitis is a disease that needs to be watched out for because it can be fatal. The disease is caused by a bacterial or viral infection, in the meninges or protective layers of the brain and spinal cord. Knowing the initial symptoms of meningitis is very important, so that it can be treated immediately.
Meningitis Symptoms
Early meningitis symptoms may feel confusing and often mistaken for the common cold. In fact, this disease needs to be treated immediately so as not to cause a fatal condition. Here are some early symptoms of meningitis to watch out for:
Headache
A common symptom that often occurs when a person has meningitis is a headache. The inflammation that occurs can cause this significant pain to appear. These headaches may often be mistaken for migraines.
Sudden fever
Fever is one of the body’s ways to fight foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria that cause meningitis. Not only occurs in the early stages of meningitis, fever can also occur when the disease will heal.
Confusion
This confusion arises due to swelling and inflammation of the lining of the brain. This not only leads to confusion, but also changes in behavior. In some cases, the result of meningitis can occur in the long term to memory and concentration.
Daze
The next most common symptom experienced by people with meningitis is difficulty focusing and eventually becoming dazed. These symptoms cannot be realized immediately.
Usually, sufferers will have difficulty focusing and easily confused to make decisions. The daze of a sufferer is simultaneously occurring with symptoms of fever and headache.
Stiff Neck
The types of headaches vary. However, beware if the headache you experience spreads to the neck. This stiff neck becomes one of the early meningitis symptoms.
The pain of the neck can be very painful and excruciating. In fact, when the patient tries to lie down or sit down, neck pain will not improve.
Nausea and vomiting
Nausea and vomiting followed by extreme headaches to unconsciousness are characteristics of meningitis that need also get attention. If the symptoms are too strong, then the sufferer is usually lazy to eat so that his weight has dropped drastically.
This certainly should not continue to happen because those who vomit must still hydrate their bodies by drinking plenty of water and eating.
Sensitive to light
Meningitis can make sufferers so sensitive to light that they can experience migraines or discomfort when they see something. The cause is inflammation in the brain that suppresses the vision nerve.
In addition to making a person more sensitive to light, various problems can also arise, such as double or blurred vision. More severe eye injury may also occur when the vision nerve is damaged.
Rashes appear
Toxins produced due to infection can interfere with the condition of blood vessels in the body. This can cause a rash on your skin. In the early stages, the rash can indeed go away quickly.
However, over time, the rash can get worse. In fact, the bleeding under your skin is getting worse. It makes your skin blackened so that making further rashes more difficult to detect.
Changes in Blood Pressure
Not all people with meningitis must have a rash. However, problems in the blood vessels still interfere with the pressure and blood flow in your body. Over time, blood pressure becomes lower and unstable.
When that happens, there are many parts of your body that don’t get enough oxygen. This condition can cause fatal tissue damage. Therefore, getting treatment quickly is important.
Aches
People with meningitis can also experience symptoms of aches, which make them have difficulty while walking or moving.
Fatigue
Extreme fatigue can also be a meningitis symptoms. This symptom makes it difficult for people to wake up or stay awake. In addition, various declines in terms of the ability to remember, speak, hear, and see, can also attack people with it.