Final answer:
Infants with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) may show symptoms such as temperature instability, apnea, bradycardia, irritability, and lethargy. More severe symptoms can include seizures, bulging fontanel, and hemiparesis. Early recognition and treatment are crucial to prevent serious complications or fatality.
Step-by-step explanation:
Clinical Manifestations of Increased Intracranial Pressure (ICP) in Infants
Infants exhibiting increased intracranial pressure (ICP) may present with a range of clinical manifestations, which can include both early and late onset symptoms. Early indications of raised ICP are temperature instability, apnea (cessation of breathing), bradycardia (slow heart rate), hypotension, difficulty feeding, irritability, and limpness. As the ICP continues to rise, the manifestations can progress to more severe symptoms like seizures, a bulging fontanel (the soft spot on the top of the head), stiff neck, hemiparesis (weakness on one side of the body), and opisthotonos (rigid body with arched back and head thrown backward), which might be life-threatening if not promptly treated.
It is imperative to recognize these signs early as infants with conditions such as meningoencephalitis, which can lead to increased ICP, will need urgent medical attention to prevent the risk of serious complications or fatality. Moreover, other causes of increased ICP in infants include physical abuse such as shaken-baby syndrome, leading to brain swelling. When abnormalities in the cerebral venous system occur, they can also affect intracranial pressure and blood flow, and thus further complicate the clinical picture.