Typhoid Fever is a serious and potentially fatal illness which is
caused by a bacterial infection. This disease is primarily associated
with poor hygiene and is more common in areas with poor sanitation.
Causes
Typhoid
Fever is caused by the bacteria species known as Salmonella enterica.
These bacteria are transmitted into the victim through contaminated
water in most cases of infection. If the water or even food contaminated
with fecal wastes from an infected person is consumed by a person, he
or she could get infected with the typhoid bacteria found in the feces.
Once
the bacteria enter into the body through the digestive tract, they
penetrate into the intestinal walls and are phagocytosed, or engulfed in
solid form by macrophages which are a type of white blood cells. From
there, it is taken into parts of the body where it can multiply like
spleen, liver and bone marrow. Once it multiplies in good numbers, it
enters the blood stream again causing symptoms of the fever.
Not
everyone may get critically ill after the bacteria infect them. People
developing mild fever which can be overlooked can actually go on to be
long term carriers of the disease, as the bacteria find havens to
multiply in the liver, gall bladder and bile duct.
Symptoms
The symptoms of Typhoid Fever include the following.
· Slowly progressive high fever
· A very high fever degree of 104 °F
· Red colored, flat rash or spots
· Poor appetite
· Headache
· Fatigue
· Diarrhea
· A very high fever degree of 104 °F
· Red colored, flat rash or spots
· Poor appetite
· Headache
· Fatigue
· Diarrhea
However, the disease progresses through no less
than four stages spanning across a little more than three weeks. In the
first week, the fever, headache and cough attack the patient with
malaise. It may also accompany nose bleeding and abdominal pain. In the
second week, the fever reaches up to 104 °F, marked by low heartbeat
rate and a dicrotic pulse. Delirium is a noted symptom during this
stage. Diarrhea and constipation are experienced frequently by victims.
The
third stage can be particularly dangerous due to the risks of
development of certain complications such as intestinal hemorrhage,
muttering delirium and the intestinal perforation could occur. The fever
gradually reduces by the end of the third week.
Diagnosis
The
diagnosis of the typhoid fever is carried out by testing blood samples,
bone marrow and stool cultures to check for the presence of the
Salmonella type bacteria through the Widal Test, which confirms the
presence of the antibodies for the parasite. However, the test can take a
bit too long to confirm the results, as timely antibiotic treatment is
vital to the treatment of the disease. Till the results from the Widal
Test are awaited, ciprofloxacin is administered.
Treatment
Even
though typhoid has been known to be potentially fatal and dangerous, it
does not result in death most of the time. It is important to note that
immediate treatment should be offered to the victim of typhoid fever
which could help reduce the risk of fatality due to the disease to a
mere 1%. Recovery is about a little more than a week. However, in case
the victim is not treated, the fever will last a complete three weeks
and could result in deaths in some cases.
One of the most widely
used treatments of typhoid fever is administering antibiotics to the
victim, particularly ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin, ampicillin and
chloramphenicol, which are aimed to kill the Salmonella bacteria in the
body. Chloramphenicol has been the primary drug of choice for the
treatment, but other drugs such as ciprofloxacin, ampicillin and
trimethoprim-sulfmethoxazole are usually prescribed due to effectiveness
and milder side effects.
As the sanitation conditions improve
around the world, the occurrence of the disease is becoming less common
as well. However, you should remain careful while traveling to a
particular region where you know that typhoid is common and get
vaccinated before doing so.
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