Common symptoms of bacterial meningitis are high fever, headache, and stiff neck in anyone over the age of 2 years. These symptoms can develop over several hours, or they may take 1 to 2 days. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion, and sleepiness. In newborns and small infants, the classic symptoms of fever, headache, and neck stiffness may be absent or difficult to detect. Infants with meningitis may appear slow or inactive, have vomiting, be irritable, or be feeding poorly. As the disease progresses, patients of any age may have seizures.
Bacterial meningitis can be quite severe and may result in brain damage, hearing loss, limb amputation or learning disabilities.
The following groups of people are at high risk for bacterial meningitis:
- children between the ages of one month and two years old,
- people who abuse alcohol,
- people with chronic nose and ear infections,
- people who have sustained a head injury,
- people who get pneumococcal pneumonia or widespread blood infection
- people who have a weakened immune system,
- people who have had their spleen removed, or have had brain or spinal surgery,
- people who are on corticosteroids because of kidney failure
- people with sickle cell disease,
- people who live in close quarters with others including military recruits and college students
Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae Type b can spread to other people who have had close or prolonged contact with a patient with meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis (also called meningococcal meningitis) or Haemophilus influenzae Type b. People in the same household or daycare center or anyone with direct contact with a patient's oral secretions (such as a boyfriend or girlfriend) would be considered at increased risk of getting the infection.