What is tetanus? This is an acute infectious disease. It develops as a result of ingestion of tetanus bacillus toxin from the outside. Exotoxin affects the nervous system, which leads to the occurrence of tonic spasms of the muscular system.
In the external environment, the pathogen is in the form of spores that are resistant to physical and chemical factors, disinfectants.
This pathogen is common throughout the Earth. Most often it is found where the climate is humid and hot. From the causative agent of tetanus, vaccination is carried out in all countries of the world. The entry gates for infection to enter the body are burn surfaces, wounds, household injuries (abrasions, punctures). From people who are affected by tetanus, the pathogen is not transmitted. If the bacterium enters the body with food, then the disease does not occur.
Exotoxin, once in the body, spreads in it through the blood, lymph and nerve fibers and is firmly retained in the nervous tissue. The course of the disease and its prognosis depend on the prevalence and depth of damage.
Signs of tetanus
Incubation periodon average lasts two weeks, sometimes up to one month. The first symptoms of the disease appear after the healing of the infected wound. The shorter the incubation period, the more severe the course of the disease. The tetanus clinic always begins suddenly and acutely, against the background of good he alth, sometimes this is preceded by general weakness, poor sleep and appetite. What is tetanus? The first sign of the disease is trismus (tension) of the muscles of the chewing apparatus with difficulty opening the mouth. Lockjaw of the masticatory muscles makes it impossible to swallow saliva, food, and water (dysphagia) as the muscles of the throat contract.
Subsequently, stiff neck muscles are added, throwing the head back. Against the background of convulsions, tension occurs in the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm, which leads to respiratory failure and contributes to the occurrence of cerebral hypoxia. The patient notes unbearable muscle pain throughout the body. Touching the body, any sound or light contribute to the onset of tonic convulsions, which can last from a few seconds to a minute. During convulsions, there is an increase in temperature, sweating, excessive salivation, palpitations and oxygen starvation of all cells and tissues. What is tetanus? The patient has difficulty urinating and defecation. It is characteristic that the patient is constantly in a clear mind. Tetanus (photo can be seen below) is characterized by classic opisthotonus with the onset of seizures.
The disease is classified according to severity as follows:
- Easyform of tetanus. It occurs rarely and only in those who have partial immunity. Convulsions, if they occur, are only a few attacks during the day. Body temperature up to 38.50 C. The illness lasts up to two weeks.
- Moderate form. It manifests itself with typical symptoms and high fever. The frequency of seizures is one to two times within an hour with a duration of up to 30 seconds. There are no complications as such. The period of illness is up to three weeks.
- Heavy form. The symptoms of the disease are pronounced. Convulsions - every 6-30 minutes with a duration of up to 3 minutes. Added fluctuations in blood pressure. As a rule, pneumonia occurs with this form of tetanus. The duration of the illness is up to three weeks.
What is tetanus? A disease in which death occurs against the background of damage to the brain stem with a stop of cardiovascular and respiratory activity.
Treatment
The patient must be hospitalized in the intensive care unit in a separate room. During treatment, a high-calorie diet is recommended. Anti-tetanus serum or anti-tetanus immunoglobulin is administered, antibiotic therapy from the group of penicillins or fluoroquinolones, anticonvulsant therapy, muscle relaxants with transfer to artificial lung ventilation.
Prevention
According to the vaccination schedule, children are vaccinated three times a day with an interval of five years. Use tetanus toxoid or DTP vaccine.
