Nursing Blog

Typhoid fever is treated with antibiotics that kill the Salmonella bacteria. Prior to the use of antibiotics, the fatality rate was 20%. Death occurred from overwhelming infection, pneumonia, intestinal bleeding, or intestinal perforation. With antibiotics and supportive care, mortality has been reduced to 1%-2%. With appropriate antibiotic therapy, there is usually improvement within one to two days and recovery within seven to 10 days. Several antibiotics are effective for the treatment of typhoid fever. Chloramphenicol was the original drug of choice for many years. Because of rare serious side effects, chloramphenicol has been replaced by other effective antibiotics. The choice of antibiotics needs to be guided by identifying the geographic region where the organism was acquired and the results of cultures once available. (Certain strains from South America show a significant resistance to some antibiotics.) Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) is the most frequently used drug in the U.S. for non...

Typhoid fever is a serious, contagious bacterial infection caused by Salmonella typhi or Salmonella paratyphi. The organism enters through the gastrointestinal tract and spreads through the circulatory system (bacteremia), inflaming the lining (intestinal mucosa) of the small and large intestines. Severe cases can lead to delirium or coma, and may be life-threatening. Typhoid bacteria are shed in the feces and urine of infected individuals. Inadequate hand washing after defecation or urination can contaminate food and water supplies. Rarely, domestic animals may serve as a reservoir for paratyphoid. Flies may spread the disease from feces to food, causing epidemics in areas with poor sanitation practices. Hospital workers who do not follow the hospital's sterile procedures can be infected through the soiled linens of infected individuals. Although some infected individuals do not develop actual symptoms, they are still capable of spreading the disease to others (carriers). In the U...

What are the symptoms of typhoid fever? The incubation period is usually one to two weeks, and the duration of the illness is about four to six weeks. The patient experiences poor appetite; abdominal pain; headaches; generalized aches and pains; fever, often up to 104 F; lethargy (usually only if untreated); intestinal bleeding or perforation (after two to three weeks of the disease); diarrhea or constipation. People with typhoid fever usually have a sustained fever as high as 103 F-104 F (39 C-40 C). Chest congestion develops in many patients, and abdominal pain and discomfort are common. The fever becomes constant. Improvement occurs in the third and fourth week in those without complications. About 10% of patients have recurrent symptoms (relapse) after feeling better for one to two weeks. Relapses are actually more common in individuals treated with antibiotics. Source : http://www.medicinenet.com