Why did my 5-month-old granddaughter get a seizure?

Question

Hi doctor,

My granddaughter, who is 5 months old, was admitted to the emergency room with a seizure. They did a CT scan and found blood in her brain. They did a blood test; the WBC was at 24000 cells per cubic millimeter, and her platelets were at 711 platelets per microliter of blood. Both of these numbers seemed high and would indicate an infection. They did not do a spinal tap until five days later. They began antibiotics right away. I understand that you would not see a positive result if you tested after treatment. She got worse on the fourth day, and they had to go into her brain and release the pressure. The symptoms looked like Meningitis, but we cannot tell now as they waited so long to test for infection. We are concerned that she may still have an infection. Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understand your concern.

According to the description you provided, it sounds like meningitis. The antibiotics given to her on the first day will help clear the infection. In meningitis, the course of duration depends on the organism separated from the culture if the spinal fluid is tested and can range from 14 to 28 days. So even if they have done a spinal tap after five days, it would still show you the type of infection, if there is any. So the duration and the type of antibiotic will depend on the spinal fluid investigation.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.