Tetanus
What is Tetanus?
Tetanus, alternatively known as lockjaw, is a very dangerous as well as infectious disease in which skeletal muscle fibers of a patient get contracted very badly. Although, it is a preventable disease but, the cases of fatal rate is still 11%. The disease infects body through wounds contaminated of some bacteria like, Gram Positive, Obligate Anaerobic bacterium and Clostridium tetani.
One of the main bacteria, Clostridium tetani, which is found in soil in the form of spores produces neurotoxin in the body of an infected person and causes spasm or contraction in the skeletal muscle fibers.
The disease infects the whole body by making spasms in the muscles starting, from the jaw to the other parts. The name lockjaw is given due to the development of spasms in the muscles of the jaws, indicating the progress of the disease. The disease infects the body through a poison, known as neurotoxin, produced by the bacteria. The toxin produced affects the nervous system of the body, and, if not taken properly, can result in severe condition of the patient.
There are certain drugs and immunization which can prevent Tetanus, but, they can only work if proper treatment is given to the patient that too on right time.
Symptoms of Tetanus
As fast the bacteria start growing in the body, symptoms of this fatal disease start coming out. Basically, the bacteria infect the skeletal muscles of the body and after developing spasms in the muscles, the body starts showing its ill-effects. The infection reflects its symptoms in its incubation period of around 4-8 days. The symptoms of Tetanus include:
Inconvenience in swallowing anything
Jaw locking due to development of muscle spasms
Increase in body temperature, or, feeling feverish
Pain in muscles of shoulders, neck, abdomen, and thighs due to
development of spasms
Sometimes headache arises due to fever and pain in the muscles
Evidence shows that people who are unvaccinated of Tetanus and who are above 60 year are more prone to catch this infection. The best cure for this disease is to vaccinate your baby in his early childhood, so that, the bacteria behind it do not get spread over all the body.
Types of Tetanus
Basically, Tetanus can be defined in four categories depending on the muscles and age it is infecting the person. They are:
Generalized Tetanus: Around 80% of the total cases belong to this category of Tetanus, affecting skeletal muscles of the body. It is very common and very difficult to recover from. It starts spreading from facial muscles to the calf muscles in a descending order. Initial symptoms include lockjaw, risus sardonicus, stiffness in neck movement, swallowing problem, rigidity of down muscles, along with, high blood pressure, high temperature, and sweating. Spasms developed in the muscles are recurrent in nature; they might take some months to get rid from.
Cephalic Tetanus: In this, the bacteria affect the cranial nerves of the facial muscles of the body starting from the flora of the middle ear, in the form of ear infection. Generally, it does not affect any other muscles of the body.
Local Tetanus: It is a very uncommon and milder form of Tetanus that develops muscle spasm near the bacteria infected wound.
Neonatal Tetanus: The infection affects babies who are less than 1 month old and not being immunized properly. The infection affects the body similar to the way it affects in the case of generalized Tetanus. Main cause of the disease is injecting non-sterile needle in the body of an infant, resulting in near about 14% cases of death of babies. In some cases, babies whose mothers are not immunized for this disease get infected by the bacteria.
Causes of Tetanus
Research shows that the major reason behind the disease is the attack by the bacteria, name Clostridium tetani. The bacteria enter the body through a wound caused by deep puncturing of nail, deep cuts, burns, or any other breakout in the skin of a person.
Diagnosis of Tetanus
By examining the symptoms and the history of the patient the doctor can easily recognize whether it is a case of Tetanus or not. Patient who is unvaccinated for this disease have greater chance to fall for this infection. Sometimes tests like spatula and blood tests are conducted to confirm the presence of the infectious bacteria in the body.
Spatula test observes the results of the interaction between the posterior pharyngeal wall and a sterile soft-tipped needle or any other instrument in the body. Positive result indicates the presence of lockjaw while negative indicates a gag reflex from any other foreign object.
Blood tests are done to confirm the presence of tetanus bacteria in the body along with the percentage they are infecting the body.
Treatment of Tetanus
First of all, keep a check with your doctor that your child has been properly immunized from this fatal disease. Always follow the vaccination process to make your child’s body immune from all these infectious diseases.
In case of infants, keep a record whether you are following each and every step of vaccination and giving every vaccination to your child. Infants with some wound, that too having great risk of Tetanus, should be treated by prophylaxis as soon as possible. In case baby is detected with Tetanus provide him best and quick treatment in the hospital. The treatment given will include some dose of antibiotics that will kill bacteria spreading all over the body.
In general case, after getting hurt, clean the wound by some antibiotics like Metronidazole to kill the bacteria infecting the wound. Stop the bleeding by strapping and covering it by a clean cloth or bandage. Treat each and every case by human antitetanospasmin immunoglobulin or by other tetanus immune globulin along with booster shots, needed for immunization.
If the symptoms are of mild tetanus then give Tetanus immune globulin IV and IM, metronidazole IV, diazepam, and other Tetanus vaccination to the patient, as per the recommendion of the doctor.
But, if it is a case of severe Tetanus then, provide best medical facilty to the patient and admit him to the intensive care unit. Other than basic facilities, doctor will recommend certain treatment like: dose of human tetanus immunoglobulin, intravenous (IV) infusion consisting magnesium to treat muscle spasm, and IV labetalol, magnesium, clonidine to reduce the autonomic effect of the infection.
Sometimes doctors recommend to give muscle relaxants like diazepam to reduce spasms and contraction in the muscles of the infected person. But, in some severe cases, patient needs to get paralyzed and put on a mechanical ventilator to get treated by some curable drugs.
Living with Tetanus
Becoming a Tetanus patient is a very painful and disturbing experience. The treatment given for this infectious disease includes number of injections, large doses of antibiotics, and above all living in Intensive Care Unit. So, it’s better to prevent yourself and your baby from this disease by getting properly vaccinated for it.
Prevention from Tetanus
Basic step to get prevented from Tetanus is to follow proper vaccination in the early phase of life. In case of injury contaminated by the bacteria, one should go for post-exposure tetanus prophylaxis shots.
There is a routine vaccination pattern prepared by doctors, which include every important vaccination against several fatal diseases like DTaP vaccination for diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis. The vaccine pattern indicates that an infant should get his first shot against Tetanus when he is of 2 months, followed by 4th month, 6th month, then at the age of 15th and 18th month.
Additionally, Tetanus in infants can be prevented by giving tetanus immunization to pregnant ladies. This generally aids in a decrease in the risk of neonatal tetanus.
The vaccination pattern helps your child to become immune and strong against all these infectious diseases. Other than this, Td ir Tdap vaccine is given to adults and children above seven years to make them immune against tetanus and diphtheria. Also, people who are not sure whether they got vaccinated for Tetanus or not are given booster vaccine with puncture wound.
In case a person gets injured then his doctor can recommend him to get tetanus booster, according to his history, and some tetanus immune globulin (TIG) immunization to prevent spreading of bacteria in the wound.
Generally, after getting some deep cuts and puncture wound one should immediately clean or wash that wound with some antibiotics and cover that wound by some clean bandage. And, lastly don’t forget to consult your doctor for better prevention.
