Meningitis Misdiagnosis Claims

Meningitis is an infection of the meninges which are protective tissue linings or membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. The infection causes the membranes to become inflamed, which in some cases can damage the nerves and brain.

There are two main types of meningitis

It is vital that a diagnosis distinguishes between the two main types of meningitis.

Viral meningitis – caused by viruses spread through coughing, sneezing and poor hygiene.

Bacterial meningitis - caused by a number of different bacteria, such as Neisseria meningitidis or Streptococcus pneumonia,

Viral meningitis - is usually an unpleasant but relatively mild and less serious condition, that most commonly affects babies and young children. Normally there is a complete recovery from the disease but more severe; long-term symptoms may also result.

Bacterial meningitis - is the more serious form of meningitis and requires immediate expert medical assistance.

The most common form is caused by meningococcal bacteria which can cause meningitis, septicaemia or both.

Septicaemia is the more life-threatening form of the disease and is more dangerous when there are no signs of meningitis.

Babies are at a higher risk of bacterial meningitis than any other age group. They can fall ill with all the main types of meningitis and septicaemia, including:

• meningococcal
• pneumococcal, and
• Hib

Bacterial forms that mostly, but not exclusively, affect new-born babies are:

• group B Streptococcal (GBS)
• Coli
• Listeria

This age group are most at risk and may develop some of the following symptoms, in any order:

• high fever
• cold hands and feet
• vomiting
• refusing to feed
• agitation and reusing to be picked up
• drowsiness, floppy and unresponsive
• rapid breathing
• unusual high-pitched or moaning cry
• pale, blotchy skin,
• red rash
• tense, bulging soft spot on the top of the head, known as the ‘fontanelle’
• stiff neck and sensitivity to light
• convulsions or seizures

For this age group, additional symptoms also include:

• difficulty waking up
• confusion and irritability
• severe muscle pain
• severe headache
• stiff neck

The glass test – a quick first test you can carry out immediately at home

If a rash appears, press the side of a clear glass firmly against the skin.  A rash that doesn’t fade under pressure could be a sign of meningococcal septicaemia.

A rash that doesn’t fade under pressure might first appear as a few small spots or “pinpricks” on any part of the body. The condition often spreads rapidly and begins to look like fresh bruising as blood leaks into the tissue under the skin.

It is vital to get immediate medical help if you or anyone in your family show any symptoms of meningitis.

If a patient is suspected of having meningitis, it is important to perform several key clinical tests to help confirm a diagnosis.

• lumbar puncture – also called a “spinal tap”, in which spinal fluid is collected for testing.
• CT scan of the head
• chest X-ray
• blood culture analysis

Sometimes, another sickness or condition is thought to be the cause of illness, often including:

• shaken Baby Syndrome
• swine Flu
• pneumonia
• flu
• jaundice

In other cases, it might be that the victim developed more than one sickness at a time. A child who developed a cold or flu around the same time as the meningitis bacteria entered the brain could show the signs of the less dangerous sickness. As a result,  other symptoms can be overlooked, and they’ll be treated for the less serious condition, allowing Meningitis to go untreated, causing further damage.

In other cases, Meningitis can be misdiagnosed as a more serious condition like cancer – treatment for cancer of the brain does not affect the development of meningitis.

The treatment for severe bacterial meningitis will frequently require hospital treatment.

A variety of regular treatments will include:

• antibiotics
• anti-convulsants
• corticosteroids
• paracetamol
• oxygen therapy
• fluid control
• blood tests
• sedatives

• brain damage
• build-up of fluid between the skull and brain
• hearing loss
• seizures
• permanent brain damage or even death can result if a diagnosis is delayed and brain swelling persists.

Further consequences of bacterial meningitis include:

• brain damage, itself causing epilepsy, loss of memory or cognitive impairment, deafness.
• loss of limb/s - if accompanied by septicaemia.

Complications from meningitis may be caused by a delayed or inaccurate diagnosis made by a doctor or another healthcare practitioner.