Typhoid fever is rarely seen today in the industrialized nations but remains a serious problem in the less-developed countries of the world. MedlinePlus reports that fewer than 400 cases of typhoid fever are diagnosed in the United States each year. Caused by a bacterium called Salmonella typhi, the disease is spread through contaminated food and water, as well as exposure to those who already have been infected.
Symptoms and Treatment
The early symptoms of typhoid are general malaise, fever and abdominal pain, quickly followed by a spike in fever, diarrhea and, in some patients, a rosy-colored rash. If caught in its early stages, the disease usually responds well to treatment with antibiotics. Those whose infection is detected early usually become asymptomatic within two to four weeks. Failure to catch typhoid in its early stages can lead to serious complications.
Intestinal Bleeding/Perforation
Roughly one in every 20 typhoid patients experiences some form of intestinal bleeding and/or perforation, according to MayoClinic.com. These complications may develop as early as the third week of infection in patients whose disease was not diagnosed early enough. Signs of intestinal hemorrhaging include a sharp drop in blood pressure, blood in the stool and the onset of shock. Even more serious is a perforation of the bowel, which allows its contents to leak into the abdominal cavity and may eventually lead to sepsis, a life threatening infection in the bloodstream.
Psychiatric Complications
MayoClinic.com reports that typhoid fever can lead to psychiatric complications, such as hallucinations, delirium and paranoid psychosis. The May-June 2001 issue of "General Hospital Psychiatry" reported on a study of psychiatric problems among typhoid patients in a Nigerian hospital. Of the 136 typhoid patients studied, roughly 19 percent experienced psychiatric complications. Of these cases, 73.1 percent were classified as delirium, 3.8 percent as generalized anxiety disorder, 3.8 percent as depressive episodes, 3.8 percent as schizophrenia-like disorder and 15.5 percent as monosymptomatic neuropsychiatric manifestations, such as irrelevant talking, hallucinations and apathy.
Other Complications
Other possible complications of typhoid fever, according to MayoClinic.com, are pneumonia; myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle; pancreatitis; infections of the bladder or kidneys; osteomyelitis, infection of the spine; and meningitis, inflammation of the membranes surrounding the spinal cord and/or brain.
Avoiding Infection
MayoClinic.com reports that more than 12 million people worldwide are diagnosed with typhoid fever each year. Although children are the most likely to be diagnosed with the disease, their symptoms are usually milder than those seen in adults. Particular care should be exercised by those from the industrialized world who travel for business or pleasure into countries where the disease is widespread. Travelers are advised to avoid contact with persons who might be infected, drink no water they fear could be contaminated and postpone travel altogether if their immune system has been weakened by the use of corticosteroids or a preexisting condition, such as HIV/AIDS.
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