Pain in the shins, cold extremities, and unusual skin color changes – these are the earliest symptoms of meningitis that can appear within 12 hours after bacterial infection.
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Consider meningitis when a child feels cold, has cold hands and feet, and is fatigued. |
These signs appear before the classic symptoms such as headache, rash, stiff neck, light sensitivity, and decreased consciousness, according to Dr. Matthew Thompson from the University of Oxford (UK).
Meningitis is a bacterial infection that occurs in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The disease spreads from person to person through sneezing, coughing, kissing, and often attacks crowded living conditions and military barracks. About 5-10% of patients die, usually within 24-48 hours after symptoms appear. The World Health Organization reports that meningitis patients need to be treated with antibiotics.
If not detected and treated in time, the disease can cause brain damage, hearing loss, and cognitive impairment. “If young children are diagnosed early, the consequences can be minimized,” Thompson stated.
The research team identified the initial group of symptoms for meningitis after analyzing data related to nearly 500 pediatric patients, including 103 fatalities. The results showed that 72% of these patients exhibited signs such as leg pain, cold extremities, and changes in skin color. Most did not show any symptoms in the first 4-6 hours but were at high risk of death in the next 24 hours. Classic symptoms do not appear until 13-22 hours after bacterial infection. Half of the cases went undetected in time because doctors mistakenly attributed the cause to a common virus.
My Linh (according to Reuters)
