Both viral and bacterial meningitis are severe and potentially life-threatening illnesses that most commonly affect infants and young children. While viral meningitis usually clears up on its own without causing permanent damage, the same cannot be said for the much more dangerous bacterial meningitis. Because of the seriousness of the long-term side effects associated with bacterial meningitis, it is important to seek medical treatment immediately if meningitis symptoms appear.
Brain Damage
The majority of children with viral meningitis survive the disease without any brain damage. With bacterial menigitis, however, this is not always the case. The University of Maryland website reports that children who survive bacterial meningitis often suffer later in life from learning disabilities. A 2004 study published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology suggests that, up to 12 years post-illness, children with a history of meningitis can suffer from mild brain impairment in the area of executive functioning. They took longer to complete tasks, made more mistakes and were less organized than peers without a meningitis history.
Hearing Loss
The most common effect of meningitis, particularly the bacterial type, is permanent hearing loss. According to the website deafnessresearch.org, hearing loss affects as many as 10 percent of all children who survive the disease. The younger the child when infected, the greater the chance of hearing impairment.
Nerve Functioning
While less common, weakness or loss of nerve function is also a possibility for survivors of bacterial meningitis. Examples of nerve functioning problems include seizures and weakness on one side of the body, according to the University of Maryland. Speech and vision problems as well as difficulty coordinating movements are also examples of long-term nerve functioning impairment as a result of meningitis.
