Dangerous complications of typhus

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Vo Ha Bang Suong - Doctor of Medicine - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital. The doctor has more than 15 years of experience in the treatment of internal diseases.
Scarlet fever is caused by a bacterium called Orientalis tsutsugamushi, which belongs to the family Rickettsia. The vectors of the disease are the larvae of ticks. In the past few years, tick fever tends to appear more after a long period of lull. If not treated properly, fever can be quite dangerous complications, which can cause liver toxicity or multi-organ damage, even death.

1. Overview of typhus fever

Scarlet fever is also known as Japanese riverside fever, bush fever, forest typhus.... The cause of the disease originates from a bacterium called Orientalis tsutsugamushi, belonging to the Rickettsia family. The infected tick larvae are the vectors of tick fever. Mosquito larvae carry bacteria that bite humans, transmission through saliva is the only mode of infection. The disease is not spread from person to person.
Location of endemic outbreak in Asia and Western Pacific region, where there are forests, many groves, bushes, rivers and streams, wet soil, ... favorable for larvae to live and develop develop. Scarlet fever can appear all year round, but the outbreak period is mainly in the rainy season, peaking from June to July. Those susceptible to the disease include people living near the outbreak area, or traveling frequently. entering the forest, entering the cave, wading in rivers or streams or clearing trees, working in the fields,... Patients of any age are at risk of contracting tick fever, including children or adults when they have been bitten by the larvae. attack.
The typical manifestation of tick fever is that the patient has a high fever continuously (above 38-40 degrees Celsius), on the body, it is detected that the typical sores caused by tick bites are located at the location of the soft, tender skin. Accompanying symptoms may include severe headache, dizziness, rash, and painful swollen lymph nodes. Sometimes, typhoid fever does not appear sores (hidden form) so it is easy to be misdiagnosed with malaria, typhoid, Leptospira disease... The differential diagnosis is very important to provide a cure. accurate disease, requires careful examination and some necessary tests. If the disease is mild, it may go away on its own in a few weeks. However, most febrile diseases need to be treated early and aggressively with specific antibiotics to be cured and to limit dangerous complications.

2. Stages of typhoid fever

The progression of typhus disease will become progressively worse with the invasion and attack of the pathogenic bacteria Rickettsia orientalis tsutsugamushi. The specific stages are as follows:
First is the blistering of the skin: Through the saliva of infected tick larvae, O. tsutsugamushi bacteria multiply in the bitten area on the human skin. This process produces papules, which progress to pea-sized blisters, with pus appearing on a red background. Water blisters then necrosis, brown scabs and then peel off to form ulcers (65-80% of cases).
Next is swollen lymph nodes from the site to the whole body: From the skin sores, Orientia continues to attack the lymphatic system, causing inflammation of the lymph nodes around the burned area. Then there will appear peripheral lymphadenopathy, systemic lymphadenitis, swollen and painful lymph nodes. Sometimes by the end of the first week of fever there will be a rash all over the body, but excluding the palms of the feet.
Serious disease that causes damage and necrosis of multiple organs: At the same time, bacteria also follow the blood stream to move to the endothelial cells (lining) of small blood vessels to reside and grow. These blood vessels are usually located in internal organs such as the lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, brain, and heart. This is the mechanism of febrile illness complications that damage these parts.
Finally, there is a risk of death: If not treated promptly and properly, febrile illness has a life-threatening risk. Depending on various factors, the mortality rate from tick fever ranges from 1% to up to 60%.

3. Dangerous complications of typhus fever

When the bacteria Rickettsia orientalis parasitic and grows in the human body, it will cause inflammation of the blood vessels. At this time, the osmotic pressure of the vessel wall will increase, leading to plasma leakage, tissue edema, effusion and a number of other complications.
Is fever dangerous? For this acute infection, if not detected early and treated actively, it will be more serious, leading to dangerous complications such as multi-organ damage, including:
Myocarditis, cardiovascular collapse ; Disseminated intravascular coagulation; Severe pneumonia, pneumonia with ARDS and respiratory failure; Inflammation of the brain and meninges; Acute liver failure, hepatosplenomegaly, elevated liver enzymes; Kidney disease; Septic shock; Bleeding in stools, vomiting and hemoptysis; Scarlet fever is an acute infectious disease, caused by the larvae of the infected mite O. tsutsugamushi. Therefore, an effective preventive measure is to not let the larvae bite by killing the outbreak, clearing the bushes. People who work and live in places with many groves need to carefully cover, apply insecticide to the skin and wash clothes after one use. If you see signs of fever, suspect tick fever, you should immediately go to a medical facility to find the characteristic sores, from which to make a definitive diagnosis and have an accurate treatment. It should be noted that do not subjectively treat at home, fever with severe complications will cause multi-organ failure with complications that can lead to death.
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