Medicine does not stand still and is constantly evolving. Scientists every day find various cures for various diseases. However, doctors still have a list of the most terrible ailments that threaten humanity. One such problem is typhoid. What is, what is the disease dangerous, about the causes of its occurrence and the main symptoms and will be discussed further.
basic information
Initially, you need to deal with terminology. So, typhoid - what is it? This is a serious disease caused by Salmonella. Experts say that it occurs most often where there is a large crowd of people. The causative agent of this disease are bacteria such as Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi (that is, typhoid and paratyphoid infections). These microorganisms initially develop in the intestine, after which they gradually penetrate the blood and other organs (most often - the liver, gall bladder and spleen).
Causes of the disease
As mentioned above, the causative agent of typhoid is bacteria, which in medicine are called Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi (i.e., salmonella). It’s easy to get them. You can get them through dirty food, as well as through water. That is, one of the causes of the disease is non-compliance with personal hygiene rules. The main transmission routes of salmonella is by the oral-fecal method.
It is also worth noting that of the category of food products, the most dangerous in this case is milk, less often meat and vegetables. Doctors note that basically this disease occurs in those areas and regions where the level of cultural and sanitary development is very low.
We must not forget that typhoid is transmitted not only through urine and feces, but also through sweat, saliva, and along with mother's milk.
The main symptoms
Typhoid - what is this disease? We deal with this further. Now I want to consider the main symptoms, which will manifest in a person in case of infection. It is worth noting that the signs of the disease will not be noticeable immediately after infection. So, they will appear on average on the 7-14th day of the development of the disease. In this case, a person can feel:
- Persistent headache.
- Fever.
- Stomach ache.
- Upset stool. Most often, constipation initially occurs, followed by loose stools.
- Patients often experience a dry cough.
- Pink spots may appear, which are mainly concentrated on the back, stomach, and chest.
About types of disease
Typhoid Disease - What Is It? What else interesting can you learn about this disease? So, it must be said that today doctors distinguish three of its types:
- Typhus.
- Typhoid fever.
- Relapsing fever.
Depending on this, the symptoms of the disease will vary. For each individual type of ailment, the symptoms will be slightly different from each other.
About typhoid fever
Typhoid fever is the most common type of disease. So, it arises in case of non-compliance with sanitary standards. Symptoms are very similar to colds. This is a headache, fatigue, and also weakness. A little later, there is an increase in body temperature: it can reach a mark even at 40 ° C. At the same time, there is also a decrease in appetite, sleep disturbance. The patient may alternately experience either insomnia or constant drowsiness. A week after infection, a rash is visible on the patient's skin, which either appears or disappears. The man himself becomes somewhat inhibited, his face turns pale. Even later, the pulse may increase, as well as lower blood pressure. At this time, the patient is heard wheezing - this is the so-called specific bronchitis.
At first, a sick person does not pose a threat, he is dangerous in the second week of the disease. And all because bacteria at this time are already secreted not only with feces, but also with sweat. Others can pick them up at any time.
About typhus
What is characterized by typhus? Its main difference is that in addition to fever and fever, it also causes damage to the cardiovascular and nervous systems of the body. This type of disease is transmitted using lice: clothes, headaches. The insect itself is not at all dangerous, but it can carry the infection. The latter enters the bloodstream with an insect bite. It can also be spread by secretions of lice if they settle on the head of the new owner. When combing bites, rubbing their excrement into the head occurs. The symptomatology is the same as with typhoid fever. However, skin rashes occur not only on the abdomen, back and chest, but also on the elbow and knee bends, joints.
About typhoid fever
It's time to consider a problem like typhoid fever. What is the difference between this disease? Initially, it should be noted that ticks, as well as lice, are carriers of the disease. His spirochetes, in other words, Borrelia reccurentis, cause it. It is also important to note that there are two types of disease:
- Lousy relapsing fever (or recycle lousy fever).
- Tick-borne typhus.
It is easy to guess that in the first case, lice are the carrier of the disease. And most often - clothes. Much less often - head or pubic. The person falls to the maximum fall during a fever. So, an insect is able to get drunk on the blood of an infected person. Getting on the human body, it can infect only if it is crushed in the place of abrasions, wounds or scratches. That is, it is necessary that particles of an infected insect enter the human blood. Only in this way can lousy relapsing fever appear.
Tick-borne typhus is very similar to lousy, but there are still some differences. First of all, they are that pathogens are very similar. However, in this case, rodents are the distributors, and ticks are the carriers. It is worth noting that this type of disease is common in Africa, Asia, Latin America, as well as in Spain and Portugal. I must say that the epidemic of tick-borne typhus cannot occur, in any case, there have not been such precedents.
Diagnosis and treatment
Be sure to tell what tests you have to pass so that you can make this diagnosis. To make an analysis for typhoid, you will have to send blood and feces to a laboratory test. And already on these results we can draw certain conclusions.
As for treatment, you can cope with the disease. However, you need to start treatment as soon as possible in order to get rid of the problem faster. So, you have to take antibiotics. It can be such drugs as Erythromycin, Penicillin, Tetracycline. It is important to note that the goal of antimicrobial therapy is not only to kill pathogens, but also to prevent relapses. In this case, symptomatic treatment, as well as detoxification therapy, can be carried out .