Tetanus: The Painful Death
Tetanus is an infection of a bacterium through contaminated wound which may turn fatal if it is not properly treated. A person afflicted with tetanus shows signs of prolonged skeletal muscle fiber contraction. This is due to the neurotoxin released by bacterium Clostridium tetani as it enters the body. The infection generally happens as a result of wound contamination. In most cases, it is some cut or deep wound. With the progress of the infection, there are muscle spasms seen in the jaw that has led the name lockjaw. Soon the patients find it difficult to swallow and there is muscle stiffness along with spasms in different parts of the body.
Cause of Tetanus
The bacterium responsible for Tetanus is Clostridium tetani. It resides in soil and also animal manure. A person can get the bacterium if his wound comes in contact with garden soil or any other object having the bacterium. The incubation period of the bacterium is from few days to some weeks. On entering the body, the bacterium releases neurotoxin which is a poison. This neurotoxin attacks the nervous system resulting in muscular spasm and other problems.
Tetanus Symptoms
Anyone who is affected with tetanus will experience spasmodic movement of the jaws, which is known as lock jaw. A person with spasm of face muscles will look like having a fixed grin. This spasm can either occur spontaneously of its own or be the result of some stimulation like noise or light. There are some other symptoms associated with tetanus which include swallowing or breathing, difficulty in passing urine, inordinate heart rate and blood pressure, bending of back and neck and sweating. The person afflicted with the disease remains alert. Babies with tetanus infection do not feed , have poor sucking technique and are often irritable. If the disease occurs in very young or old, it may turn fatal.
The striated muscle, heart muscle and cardiac muscle are not affected by tetanus as there are intrinsic electrical properties in these muscles. Presently, 11 percent of all tetanus cases are fatal. The mortality rate is highest in case of persons with no vaccination and those over the age of 60 years. The bacterium C. tetani responsible for tetanus can be found in 30 percent of cases. It is also available in patients who are not afflicted with tetanus.
The incubation period for the bacterium is from 3 to 21 days. The symptoms show its presence in 8 days. If the wound area is farther from the central nervous system, the incubation period gets longer accordingly. On the contrary, with a shorter incubation period, the chances of death increase. In case of neonatal tetanus, the child shows the symptoms within 4 to 14 days after its birth.
Treatment for Tetanus
If anyone suspects of having incurred tetanus should immediately go to a doctor. The diagnosis of tetanus is very easy to find from the symptoms and history of the disease. The bacteria can be detected in the wound of the patient. As tetanus needs immediate medical help, the treatment of the disease is provided after careful examination of the symptom alone.
Treatment should be provided in hospital. After seeing the harshness of the disease, necessary seducing drugs are provided to the patient along with muscle-relaxant drugs. The patient may need artificial ventilation to help in breathing. The wound are cleaned and the source of toxin removed. With proper treatment, most people can expect full recovery.
Tetanus is preventable. There are regular immunization program for the disease. In most country, it is given as standard vaccination schedule. Children are given boosters before they enter the school and it if followed every ten years.
Advice
If you find a deep wound, you should get medical help and advice, even though you many have been vaccinated. One should not wait to see the appearance of symptoms to go to the doctor.
