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A Healthy Start to a Healthy Year
Can your mind help your body keep your New Year’s resolutions? Mounting evidence says, *Yes.* The evolving field of psycho-neuroimmunology, or the study of the mind-body connection - often considered fringe beliefs - could help you keep your...

Aloe Vera - Is It Just A Laxative (Part I)?
Herbs have been used as medicines for thousands of years. Till recently people relied on traditional systems of medicine that were based on observational analysis, It is only now that scientific methods have evolved enough to allow...

Orthodox Cancer Treatment
1. Diagnosis Diagnosis is a strength of Western scientific medicine because of its dependence on analytical procedures and processes of elimination. Modern technology has given us many ways to see into the body for effective diagnosis of...

Prescription Eczema Creams Cause Cancer?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two eczema creams -- Novartis AG's Elidel and Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc.'s Protopic, must carry a strong warning of cancer risk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday. (March 10, 2005) Research shows the...

What disorders can acupuncture treat and how does it work?
How did acupuncture start? The story was met with widespread disbelief. During a visit to China in 1978, cardiologist Doctor Isadore Rosenfeld witnessed open-heart surgery on a patient, anaesthetised only with acupuncture. A major operation and the...

 
Tetanus

Tetanus is a severe infection of the nervous system caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani, which is commonly found in soil, household dust and animal feces. The bacteria contaminates the body normally through a deep cut or puncture wound, and can also result from injuries such as burns, frostbite and gangrene, where the skin's natural resistance is compromised. Tetanus cannot be passed by person-to-person contact, only by direct contamination of the blood stream, and it cannot be passed on via the tetanus vaccine.

Symptoms of Tetanus

The presenting symptom is usually the characteristic muscular spasm and rigidity of the jaw and neck (known as trismus or 'lockjaw'). Over a 24-48 hour period following this, muscle rigidity spreads down the body to the limbs, and can decrease the ability to swallow and breathe. Patients can be over-sensitive to light, noise and touch during the early stages of tetanus, and stimulus can cause painful muscular spasms that


cause fractures or dislocations. For this reason, patients are usually treated in dark, quiet areas in order to reduce these risks.

How common is it?

Due to widespread immunisation in childhood, tetanus is now extremely rare in developed countries. In the US, only 130 cases were reported in the period 1998-2000 (Dire 2005); most occurring among unvaccinated or inadequately vaccinated individuals following an acute injury.

How is it treated?

Treatment is by administration of the antitoxin in patients who are not adequately immunised, cleansing of the wound, and medical control of the symptoms. Patients may require invasive medical treatment in intensive care to assist with breathing and nutritional support. Most patients recover from tetanus and return to their full health over a period of 2-4 months.
About the Author

John Smith is a writer at healthcaredir ( http://www.healthcaredir.com ), a news source for the latest in health and medicine.

 

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