Infant Meningitis and Cerebral Palsy

Fact Checked

Meningitis is an infection that affects the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis in infants can cause brain damage and long-term complications, including cerebral palsy. Quick diagnosis and treatment of meningitis are essential for protecting vulnerable infants.

What Is Infant Meningitis?

Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges, a membrane that covers the brain and the spinal cord. Infectious meningitis can be bacterial, viral, or fungal. Infants are particularly vulnerable to bacterial meningitis, which has the most potential to cause long-term harm or even death.

Infant meningitis, also known as neonatal meningitis, is meningitis that develops in the first 28 days of a baby’s life:

• Early-onset neonatal meningitis occurs in babies within 72 hours (three days) of birth.
• Late-onset neonatal meningitis occurs between 72 hours and 28 days after birth.

How Is Meningitis Related to Cerebral Palsy?

Because meningitis affects tissues around the brain and spinal cord, it can cause brain damage. Brain damage, in turn, can cause cerebral palsy. Infant meningitis often causes complications, even when treated. Meningitis in an infant can lead to cerebral palsy.

A study of neurodevelopmental impairment in children with meningitis showed a connection between meningitis and cerebral palsy. The study looked at children with late-onset meningitis, meningitis that developed more than three days after birth.

The research found any type of cerebral palsy in 24% of the children and moderate or severe cerebral palsy in 14%. This is compared to 13% and 5% in children without late-onset meningitis. All children in the study were born preterm and, therefore, at a greater risk for cerebral palsy.[1]

Types of Meningitis

There are three main types of infectious meningitis, which are classified by the infectious agent:

• Bacterial Meningitis. The most common infectious agents that cause bacterial meningitis in infants are Group B streptococci, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes. Bacterial meningitis is very serious. While most babies recover, it can cause death or long-term complications, even with prompt treatment.
• Viral Meningitis. Viral meningitis is caused by viruses, like those that cause the flu or diarrhea. This is a less serious infection than bacterial meningitis, and most infants recover. However, it can be more damaging if the virus involved is herpes simplex.
• Fungal Meningitis. Fungal meningitis is caused by fungi and is rare. Candida is a common type of fungus that can cause an infection. Babies born prematurely are at greater risk of infection.

Parasites and amoebas can also cause meningitis, but these causes are not very common, especially in infants.

What Causes Meningitis in Infants?

Infectious agents like bacteria and viruses cause meningitis, but the infection can begin in multiple ways. Commonly, bacterial meningitis occurs when an infant has sepsis, an infection in the bloodstream.

A baby may also develop an infection after cuts or punctures to the scalp during delivery. Instruments used during delivery can cause these injuries, which may result in infection.

Risk factors for neonatal meningitis include:

• Pre-term birth
• Low birth weight
• Not being up-to-date on vaccines
• Infection in the mother
• Premature rupture of membranes (PROM)
• Traumatic delivery

Symptoms of Infant Meningitis

An infant cannot report symptoms, but parents and medical professionals can detect them. Common symptoms of meningitis in newborns include:[2]

• Fever or low body temperature
• Difficulty breathing
• Jaundice
• Decreased appetite
• Lethargy
• Seizures
• Vomiting
• Excessive fussiness and irritability

Meningitis symptoms may begin without warning. They may also occur soon after a baby has diarrhea or symptoms of a cold.

Diagnosing Meningitis

It’s important to seek immediate care if you suspect your baby has meningitis. Prompt diagnosis and treatment give an infant the best chance of surviving meningitis. Even with treatment, a baby may have complications. Diagnosis is essential, but can be tricky.

Doctors use a spinal tap to withdraw spinal fluid to test it for the presence of infectious pathogens. They also use blood tests and imaging scans (CT, MRI) to look for swelling in the brain.

How Is Infant Meningitis Treated?

Bacterial meningitis is treated with antibiotics. Because quick treatment is so important, your baby may begin antibiotics before getting conclusive test results to confirm meningitis.

Babies typically get a course of intravenous antibiotics for one to three weeks. They may also receive steroids to reduce swelling.

Most babies do not need treatment for viral meningitis other than supportive care. Most children recover within a week or two.

If herpes simplex virus is the cause of the infection, a baby may need to be hospitalized and treated with antiviral medications.

What Is the Prognosis for Infant Meningitis?

Around the world, neonatal meningitis kills about 190,000 vulnerable babies. In Western nations, about 10% to 15% of babies with meningitis do not survive the diagnosis. Pre-term babies have the lowest survival rates.[3]

Bacterial meningitis is very serious. Between 5% and 20% of infants with this infection do not survive. Of those who do survive, up to 50% have complications, which may include brain damage that causes cerebral palsy. The complication rate is higher in low-income countries.[2]

The best way to improve the outcome for a baby with neonatal meningitis is to get a quick diagnosis and begin treatment immediately. Take signs of meningitis very seriously and seek medical attention right away.

What Are Other Complications of Meningitis?

Brain damage with cerebral palsy is just one potential complication of infant meningitis. Research shows several possible immediate and long-term complications:[3]

• Ventriculitis, inflammation of the ventricles in the brain
• Hydrocephalus, a fluid buildup that puts pressure on the brain
• Cerebral edema, swelling of the brain
• Convulsions
• Brain abscesses
• Hearing loss
• Seizures
• Cognitive impairment

Preventing Meningitis

The best way to lower the risk of your baby having meningitis is to stay up to date on vaccines. Talk to your doctor about vaccines for you and your child, and be sure you stay on the appropriate schedule.

It’s also important to practice good hygiene to lower the risk of infection. Good hygiene in the mother and for newborns and young children can help prevent infections of all types.

Complicated deliveries also put your baby at risk for an infection. This can’t always be avoided, but mothers should follow all recommended steps to have the healthiest possible pregnancy and delivery to protect their baby.

Did Medical Negligence Cause My Baby’s Meningitis?

Medical negligence may have played a role in your baby’s condition if better care could have prevented the infection. It may also be an issue if better care could have resulted in a quicker diagnosis and treatment.

During labor and delivery, improper use of instruments, like forceps, can result in damage to a baby’s head. This can cause infection, leading to meningitis.

If your doctor or other medical professionals misdiagnosed or failed to diagnose meningitis at all, delaying treatment, they could be considered negligent for wrongful death or serious complications.

Talk to a birth injury lawyer about your options if your child has cerebral palsy or other complications resulting from neonatal meningitis. They can help you seek a settlement or take negligent doctors or hospitals to court to get the compensation your child needs.