What Are the Symptoms of Pediatric Encephalitis?

Question

What Are the Symptoms of Pediatric Encephalitis?

Answer

Pediatric meningitis is generally purulent meningitis, and its main clinical manifestations can be summarized as: acute fever, seizures, impaired consciousness, increased intracranial pressure, meningeal irritation signs, and purulent changes in cerebrospinal fluid. The specific symptoms are described as follows: (1) Symptoms of infection, poisoning, and acute brain dysfunction: including fever, restlessness, and progressively worsening impaired consciousness. As the condition worsens, children may gradually progress from listlessness, drowsiness, somnolence, to coma. More than 30% of children have recurrent generalized or focal seizures. Bacterial meningitis is prone to have petechiae, ecchymoses, and shock. (2) Manifestations of increased intracranial pressure: including headache and vomiting. In infants, there may be bulging and increased tension of the anterior fontanelle and increased head circumference. When complications such as brain herniation occur, there may be irregular breathing, sudden worsening of consciousness, or unequal pupils. (3) Meningeal irritation signs: neck stiffness is most common.