HEALTH - TYPHOID FEVER
Typhoid fever, also known as enteric fever, is a potentially fatal multi systemic illness caused primarily by Salmonella typhoid. The protean manifestations of typhoid fever make this disease a true diagnostic challenge. The classic presentation includes fever, malaise, diffuse abdominal pain, and constipation. Untreated, typhoid fever is a grueling illness that may progress to delirium, ostentation, intestinal hemorrhage, bowel perforation, and death within one month of onset. Survivors may be left with long-term or permanent neuropsychiatry complications. S typhoid has been a major human pathogen for thousands of years, thriving in conditions of poor sanitation, crowding, and social chaos. It may have responsible for the Great Plague of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War The name S typhoid is derived from the ancient Greek typhus, an ethereal smoke or cloud that was believed to cause disease and madness. In the advanced stages of typhoid fever, the patient's level of consciousness is truly clouded. Although antibiotics have markedly reduced the frequency of typhoid fever in the developed world, it remains endemic in developing countries
Symptoms
Fever, often as high as 103 or 104 F Headache
Weakness and fatigue
Sore throat
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea or constipation
Rash
Continuing high fever
Either diarrhea that has the color and consistency of pea soup, or severe constipation
Considerable weight loss
Extremely distended abdomen
TreatmentIf a patient presents with unexplained symptoms described in Table 1 within 60 days of returning from an typhoid fever (enteric fever) endemic area or following consumption of food prepared by an individual who is known to carry typhoid, broad-spectrum empiric antibiotics should be started immediately. Treatment should not be delayed for confirmatory tests since prompt treatment drastically reduces the risk of complications and fatalities. Antibiotic therapy should be narrowed once more information is available. Compliant patients with uncomplicated disease may be treated on an outpatient basis. They must be advised to use strict hand washing techniques and to avoid preparing food for others during the illness course. Hospitalized patients should be placed in contact isolation during the acute phase of the infection. Feces and urine must be disposed of safely.
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www.medicinenet.com/typhoid_fever/page2.htm
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