Man gets tetanus from unexpected cause

GĐXH – Mr. S had a history of good health, no scratches on his body. Before being hospitalized, he had a sore throat, took medicine but it did not help.

On November 6, information from the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases said that it had just received a patient with tetanus from an unexpected cause.

Accordingly, male patient LVS (65 years old, in Hai Duong), has a history of good health, without any signs of injuries or scratches on the body.

Ten days before admission, the patient began to have symptoms of sore throat but no fever. Upon examination at the medical facility, the patient was diagnosed with acute pharyngitis and prescribed medication for outpatient treatment.

The patient is being treated at the hospital. Photo: BVCC.

After 6 days of using the drug, the patient developed unusual symptoms such as difficulty opening the mouth, difficulty speaking and poor eating. The patient went to a medical facility near his home, was diagnosed with tetanus and was transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Here, the patient's initial condition was quite alert, no fever, no convulsions, but the ability to open the mouth was limited, only about 1 cm. Notably, the patient had a clear increase in muscle tone (muscle stiffness) in the abdomen and the whole body.

Especially when there is mechanical stimulation such as touching the body, the muscles in the body will react strongly, manifested through muscle spasms and stiffness. With the initial symptoms, the patient was diagnosed with: Generalized tetanus. Currently, the patient is sedated and ventilated via endotracheal tube.

MSc. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Bang - Emergency Department, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases said that in the case of patient S, there were no skin wounds or signs of trauma that could be a route of entry for tetanus spores.

Normally, tetanus bacteria enter the body through open wounds on the skin, trauma, or surgery. However, when the patient cannot clearly identify the wound, the risk of tetanus infection can still come from small scratches during previous work and daily activities that the patient did not notice, because tetanus has a long incubation period, so the patient does not remember exactly.

According to Dr. Bang, there are reports showing that tetanus appears after dental infections, such as tooth decay, tooth extraction, peri-dental abscess...

" In the case of patient S, we think a lot about the cause of tetanus from the oral cavity. In addition, in some rare cases, tetanus bacteria can enter through intestinal lesions or infections, such as from surgical wounds during endoscopy or small lesions in the stomach, rectum, or anus, " said Dr. Bang.

From this case, experts believe that early recognition of suspicious signs (progressive jaw stiffness, muscle stiffness) and taking appropriate precautions are key factors in protecting health and preventing serious developments of tetanus.

Along with that, for those who work in agriculture, manual labor, and are often in contact with the ground, they need to get regular tetanus shots and take protective measures while working to limit injuries.

In addition, any wound on the body, no matter how small, needs to be treated properly. Deep and dirty wounds need to be treated at medical facilities. Do not let open wounds come into contact with mud. At the same time, it is also necessary to ensure general oral hygiene.

In case of symptoms such as difficulty opening the mouth, difficulty speaking, or difficulty eating, the patient should go to a medical facility immediately for examination and early detection of the disease, to avoid possible complications.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/chi-bi-dau-hong-nguoi-dan-ong-o-hai-duong-bat-ngo-nguy-kich-tu-nguyen-nhan-khong-ngo-172241106155645788.htm