Tetanus Research Paper

The incubation period of tetanus is about 3-21 days, but usually 8 days. The relationship between the incubation period and its severity is that the shorter the incubation period the higher the chance of death. The duration period of tetanus is approximately 3-21 days.

The most common type of the disease is generalized tetanus (about 80% of cases reported). The symptoms of generalized tetanus are trismus (aka lockjaw) followed by stiffness of the neck. Also having difficulty swallowing and rigidity of abdominal muscles are known symptoms. Other symptoms include sweating, elevated temperature and blood pressure, and episodic rapid heart rate. Spasms may also occur frequently and could last for several minutes; these spasms continue for …show more content…
There is laryngospasm (spasm of the vocal cords) which can interfere with breathing, fractures caused by convulsions and contractions, and abnormal heart rhythm and hypertension caused by hyperactivity of the autonomic nervous system. There are also the possibilities of nosocomial infections, pulmonary embolism (usually in elderly patients), aspiration pneumonia (a common late complication), and death.

Recently, tetanus has been fatal in approximately 11% of reported cases. Cases are more likely to be fatal when the people were 60 years of age and older (18%). Unvaccinated people are about 22%. This may be because

Tetanus can be treated with Tetanus immune globulin (TIG), but it can only help remove unbound tetanus toxin and not toxin that is bound to nerve endings. Another treatment is Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG), it contains tetanus antitoxin.

Tetanus infections occur worldwide, but usually in densely populated regions in hot, damp climates with soil rich with organic matter.

Tetanus is not contagious from person to …show more content…
The catarrhal stage begins with a runny nose and a low fever with a mild, occasional cough, similar to the common cold. The cough becomes more severe over time. The catarrhal stage lasts about 1-2 weeks. The paroxysmal stage continues with a fever. The paroxysmal stage is usually when pertussis is diagnosed. This is the stage where the patient would have bursts of rapid coughs due to the thick mucus from the tracheobronchial tree. At the end of the burst the patient would inhale which is followed by a high-pitched whoop, thus the name whooping cough. The paroxysmal stage usually lasts 1-6 weeks but can last up to 10 weeks. The convalescent stage is when the patient recovers, but the recovery is gradual. The cough slowly disappears in 2-3 weeks. Convalescence can last from weeks to even months.

There are many complications of pertussis with the most common being secondary bacterial pneumonia. Other complications are seizures and encephalopathy (which may occur because of hypoxia from coughing, or because of the toxin). Complications from the pressure effects of severe paroxysms include pneumothorax, epistaxis, subdural hematomas, hernias, and rectal prolapse. There are more complications of pertussis, such as difficulty sleeping, pneumonia, urinary incontinence, and rib fracture (most likely from coughing so

Show More