Headache and fever are definitely a minor cold? Beware of deadly meningitis

Meningitis is a common and potentially fatal disease, but its most common initial symptoms do not seem that scary, and people often treat it as a common cold. It is not until the patient's condition becomes extremely serious and he goes to the hospital for a checkup that he is found to have meningitis. So, what is meningitis? What are the typical symptoms of meningitis? How can meningitis be prevented?

Yang Songlin, director of the fourth ward of the Department of Neurology at Hunan Brain Hospital, said in an interview with Hunan Daily that meningitis is an inflammatory lesion of the protective membrane of the brain and spinal cord, which often occurs in winter and spring. The disease is generally caused by infection with pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, tuberculosis, and fungi. According to China Youth Network, in the early stages of meningitis, patients will have fever, body aches, poor appetite, etc. As the disease progresses, patients will experience neurological manifestations such as drowsiness, excitement, and convulsions.

The onset of meningitis is closely related to a person's body resistance. The Hunan Daily mentioned that meningitis often occurs in people with weak constitutions or when the body's resistance is reduced. For example, a common cold may lead to meningitis.

In addition, since the early symptoms of meningitis are not particularly serious, patients often treat them as common colds, which often delays treatment, especially for children and infants who have difficulty expressing themselves. Therefore, China Youth Network emphasizes that if children have cold symptoms, abnormal mental behavior, or infants refuse to eat or have headaches, and general cold treatments are still ineffective, parents should be highly alert to the possibility of meningitis and take their children to a regular hospital for examination.

People should enhance their immunity in daily life and actively prevent meningitis. Changsha Evening News puts forward three specific suggestions:

1. People should pay attention to strengthening their physical fitness and preventing upper respiratory tract infections. After an upper respiratory tract infection occurs, if the condition worsens and headaches, nausea, vomiting occur, and then changes in consciousness and abnormal mental behavior occur, comprehensive treatment should be carried out as soon as possible to reduce complications and sequelae.

2. For newborns and children, planned immunization should be actively implemented as required.

3. After catching a cold, patients should not blindly follow their own judgment and take cold medicine on their own. They must go to a regular hospital to see a specialist for diagnosis in time. If the virus invades the brain and causes brain damage and the best time for treatment is missed, the difficulty of treatment will increase and the possibility of leaving sequelae will also increase. (Zhang Qian)

This article was scientifically reviewed by Peng Guoqiu, Director of the Outpatient Department of the Bayi Building of the First Affiliated (304) Hospital of the General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. (Expert fields: health and wellness, clinical medicine, and psychological medicine)