What are the symptoms of encephalitis in children?

Encephalitis is relatively common in clinical practice. It is a disease that can occur in people of all ages, so children also suffer from encephalitis. In this case, it is important to understand the symptoms of encephalitis in children and seek timely treatment to avoid life-threatening situations.

1. High fever (40℃), stiff neck, severe headache, loss of appetite, confusion, vomiting, convulsions, fatigue, drowsiness, sensitivity to light, small blood spots on the skin, skin rash {especially in the armpits, hands, and feet}. These symptoms of meningitis are similar to those of colds and are often the cause of misdiagnosis. Symptoms may change within one to two days, and some may become life-threatening within hours.

2. In infants and newborns, high fever, headache, and stiff neck are not typical symptoms, and sometimes low temperature may occur instead. The symptoms experienced by this group of patients include: high-pitched and continuous crying, unusual drowsiness, poor appetite, extreme sensitivity, and some having swollen fontanelles.

3. The disease has an acute onset in childhood, with high fever reaching over 39°C. Children often complain of severe headache, poor spirits, fatigue, loss of appetite, and frequent vomiting. Children are conscious at the onset of the disease, but as the disease progresses, they may become drowsy, confused, incoherent, unable to correctly identify directions, have convulsions, and become comatose. Patients with severe illness may experience convulsions and coma within 24 hours of onset. If not treated promptly, the disease will progress and the child's neck will become stiff, the head will tilt back, the back will become stiff, and the child's entire body will bend backward like a "bow", which is medically called opisthotonos. Children may also experience irregular breathing or even respiratory failure, and some children may have bleeding spots on their skin.

4. Generally, there is a possibility of coma, and muscles may become tense during exams. Some children may also suffer from brain hernia and intracranial abscess.

5. Some general manifestations of the nervous system include high pressure in the brain. The main manifestations are headaches, projectile vomiting, and high blood pressure.