10 Signs and Symptoms of Meningitis
It’s easy to overlook early symptoms, dismissing them as the flu or everyday fatigue. However, meningitis can progress rapidly, putting your health at serious risk within hours. Early recognition of these signs can save lives.
This life-threatening infection causes swelling and inflammation around the membranes covering your brain and spinal cord, leading to various warning signs related to brain involvement and disease progression.
Understanding these symptoms can help you take action before the condition worsens. This article provides a complete breakdown of the early warning signs of meningitis, helping you recognize when symptoms may require urgent medical attention.
Common Signs and Symptoms
Meningitis symptoms in adults can be severe and escalate quickly. It can be caused by pathogens (viruses, bacteria, or parasites), with bacterial meningitis being the most severe and potentially fatal without prompt treatment.
This section details the varied symptoms that adults may experience, highlighting both common and severe manifestations of the infection.
Severe Headache
A meningitis-related headache is intense and persistent, affecting the entire head. It is often characterized as a deep, throbbing pain that may progressively worsen and does not improve with rest or over-the-counter pain relievers.
This pain results from inflammation of the meninges and increased intracranial pressure, as swelling inside the skull puts pressure on your brain.
The headache typically worsens with movement, especially when bending your neck forward, standing up from a sitting or lying position, or making sudden head motions.
A person experiencing this symptom may appear highly distressed, pressing their hands against their temples or forehead. Sometimes, they may keep their eyes closed or remain motionless to avoid worsening the headache.
Stiff Neck
Neck stiffness is among the most recognizable symptoms of meningitis. It may start as mild discomfort or tightness in your neck muscles but can quickly progress to difficulty—or even an inability—to lower your chin to your chest.
Unlike stiffness from sleeping in an awkward position, this rigidity is persistent and does not improve with stretching or gentle movement. The pain worsens when you try to move your head forward, backward, or side to side.
When looking around, you may adopt a stiff posture, turning your upper body instead of your head. In severe cases, if someone attempts to move your neck—such as a doctor or caregiver—it may cause sharp pain or strong resistance.
Fever and Chills
A sudden high fever, usually above 101.5°F (38.5°C), is a common symptom of this condition. Your temperature may rise quickly, causing intense warmth, flushed skin, and sweating.
In bacterial meningitis, fevers are typically very high, sometimes exceeding 103°F (39.5°C), while viral meningitis may cause a more moderate, low-grade fever.
This is often followed by chills that trigger shivering, jaw clenching, or wrapping yourself in blankets despite feeling feverish. The fever may persist even after taking fever-reducing medication.
Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting in meningitis often occur suddenly and without warning, even when the stomach is empty. This symptom is primarily triggered by increased pressure in your head and body-wide inflammation, which disrupt the brain’s function.
You may experience a persistent queasiness and discomfort that does not improve with rest, resembling dizziness and motion sickness experiences.
Vomiting may be forceful and repeated in a short period, even without gastrointestinal causes, in an attempt to relieve skull pressure but offers no relief.
Sensitivity to Light (Photophobia)
Meningitis can cause severe sensitivity to light, making even normal brightness environments uncomfortable or unbearable. This occurs because inflammation of the meninges can irritate and apply pressure on the optic nerve, which transmits visual signals to the brain.
A dim screen glow or soft light may trigger squinting, rapid blinking, or discomfort. Your eyes may feel sore, irritated, or burned, which can further intensify the headaches experienced.
You might instinctively close your eyes, turn your head away, or seek relief in dark rooms or shade from the sun.
Photophobia is more commonly associated with viral meningitis, but it can also occur in bacterial meningitis, particularly when severe headaches and increased intracranial pressure are present.
Confusion or Difficulty Concentrating
Meningitis increases skull pressure and disrupts normal brain function due to the inflammation of the brain’s protective layers. This interference makes processing and retaining information harder, leading to confusion or difficulty concentrating.
Focusing on conversations, reading, or screens may feel frustrating as words and details seem harder to process when combined with other symptoms experienced.
You might feel foggy or slow to respond, and simple tasks can become overwhelming. You might lose track of conversations, need constant clarification, or struggle to recall recent events and familiar names.
Some may feel frustrated or anxious due to the fact that they are aware something is wrong but unable to express it clearly.
Family and friends might observe you acting differently—dazed, distracted, or unusually forgetful. In elderly patients, confusion or lethargy may appear early, sometimes replacing fever as a primary symptom.
Seizures
Seizures caused by meningitis disrupt brain function. They can range from mild muscle twitches to intense full-body convulsions, often causing sudden and uncontrollable jerking.
During an episode, your muscles may stiffen, rapid shaking can occur, and your eyes may roll back. You may lose awareness, sometimes appearing frozen before regaining consciousness.
Seizures can last from a few seconds to several minutes, often leaving you confused, exhausted, or weak afterward. Other symptoms may include uncontrolled drooling, clenched teeth, or difficulty breathing.
Experiencing multiple seizures in a short period may indicate the extent of disease progression marked by worsening neurological distress and require urgent medical attention.
Drowsiness or Difficulty Waking Up
Meningitis can cause extreme drowsiness, and staying awake may become challenging. You might drift in and out of sleep, even during conversations or activities.
Others may notice that you are slow to respond or hard to wake. They might have to shake you or call your name multiple times before you show any reaction.
In severe cases, some individuals slip into a deep sleep and become unresponsive, which is a serious warning sign that requires immediate medical attention.
Meningitis Rash
A distinctive rash can develop in meningococcal meningitis, a severe form of bacterial meningitis, and is a sign of septicemia (blood poisoning).
This rash usually appears as small red or purple spots on the body, including the arms, legs, torso, or face. It often starts as tiny pinpricks but can quickly spread and merge into larger, bruise-like patches.
A key diagnostic test is the “glass test”—pressing a clear glass against the rash. Unlike other rashes, meningitis-related spots do not fade under pressure, which indicates a severe bloodstream infection requiring immediate medical attention.
Mood Swings
Mood swings and sudden behavioral changes are significant symptoms of meningitis in adults, manifesting as unexpected emotional outbursts. You may notice increased irritability or agitation, often without a clear cause.
You might find yourself reacting emotionally or explosively in situations that normally wouldn’t affect you this way. In severe cases, these mood fluctuations can be accompanied by depression and anxiety and may even escalate to hallucinations or delirium.
If you or someone close notices these changes in your behavior, it’s important to seek medical attention promptly, as they can indicate advanced brain involvement and inflammation.
Symptoms in Infants and Young Children
Meningitis can be particularly dangerous for babies and young children because their symptoms often differ from those seen in adults.
The illness may go unnoticed without clear warning signs until it becomes life-threatening, complicated by their limited ability to verbalize their feelings.
High-Pitched Cry or Irritability
Meningitis can cause persistent irritability and an unusual, high-pitched cry in infants and young children. Your baby may become extremely fussy and cry more intensely when picked up or moved.
This occurs because brain and spinal cord inflammation causes discomfort and distress during movement. The crying may be difficult to soothe, even with feeding, rocking, or other comfort measures, and between episodes, your baby may remain unusually fussy or unsettled.
Bulging Soft Spot in the Skull
A bulging fontanelle is a significant sign of meningitis in young infants and indicates increased pressure inside the skull. You may notice that the soft spot on their head (fontanelle) appears swollen or raised.
This bulging becomes more noticeable when your baby is upright, crying, or straining. When touched gently, the fontanelle may feel firmer than usual, and the skin over it may appear stretched or swollen.
After 18 months, when the fontanelle naturally closes, this outward sign is no longer visible, making it crucial to monitor for serious symptoms such as persistent vomiting or altered consciousness.
Poor Feeding or Refusing to Eat
Your baby may suddenly show less interest in feeding or refuse to eat. You might notice them turning away from the bottle, taking only a few sips, or becoming fussy during feeding.
Some infants may latch on but quickly pull away, appearing uncomfortable or distressed. Others may become too sleepy or lethargic to complete their usual feedings, or they may struggle to coordinate sucking and swallowing.
In some cases, your baby may vomit shortly after feeding, which can contribute to reduced fluid intake and dehydration, marked by fewer diaper changes, dry lips, or sunken eyes.
Floppiness
Babies with meningitis may have unexpectedly soft or weak muscle tone when lifted. Their arms and legs might hang loosely with little to no resistance, and they may struggle to hold their head up.
You might also notice reduced responsiveness, with fewer movements or little reaction to touch and stimulation. Some babies may have difficulty gripping your finger, while others may alternate between being floppy and suddenly becoming stiff.
Stiff Body Posture
If your baby has meningitis, their body might also feel unusually stiff or rigid. Their arms and legs might remain tense, making it difficult to bend their joints.
You may notice them arching their back or forcefully extending their limbs as if their muscles are locked. Some babies clench their fists, keep their legs straight, or resist movement when repositioned.
Others may have sudden jerking or twitching movements resembling seizures. During these episodes, they might appear tense or distressed and cry in discomfort.
Convulsions
Seizures in babies can vary widely, from repeated jerking movements of the arms, legs, or entire body to more subtle signs such as repetitive blinking, lip-smacking, or brief stiffening.
Some infants may suddenly become very still and stare blankly with little response to their surroundings, while others might briefly stop breathing. You might also notice their eyes rolling back, limbs twitching, or body stiffening.
These episodes last a few seconds to minutes and may be followed by drowsiness, sluggishness, or reduced responsiveness. Some babies may also experience irregular breathing, temporary loss of bladder or bowel control, and a bluish-tinted skin color.
