Tetanus is a serious bacterial infection that affects the nervous system and causes muscles throughout the body to tighten. However, it can eventually spread to other parts of the body. Tetanus infection can be life-threatening without treatment. Tetanus is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment in a hospital. Fortunately, tetanus is preventable through the use of a vaccine. However, this vaccine does not last forever.
Tetanus booster shots are needed every 10 years to ensure immunity. Because of the easy availability of the vaccine, tetanus is rare in the United States.
Bacteria called Clostridium tetani cause tetanus. Spores of the bacteria can be found in dust, dirt, and animal droppings. Spores are small reproductive bodies produced by certain organisms.
A person can become infected when these spores enter the bloodstream through a cut or deep wound. The bacteria spores then spread to the central nervous system and produce a toxin called tetanospasmin. This toxin is a poison that blocks the nerve signals from your spinal cord to your muscles. This can lead to severe muscle spasms. Tetanus is not contagious from person to person. The infection occurs worldwide, but is more common in hot, damp climates with rich soil. When should I call my healthcare provider?
Key points about tetanus Tetanus is an acute, sometimes fatal, disease of the central nervous system, caused by the toxin of the bacterium clostridium tetani. The bacterium clostridium tetani usually enters the body through an open wound.
It can also be found in the human intestine and other places. Symptoms of tetanus may include stiffness of the jaw, abdominal, and back muscles, fast pulse, fever, sweating, painful muscle spasms and difficulty swallowing. The tetanus vaccine can reduce the risk of the disease after an injury.
Tetanus requires immediate medical attention and treatment with medications and tetanus antitoxin injections. Next steps Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider: Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen. Before your visit, write down questions you want answered. Bring someone with you to help you ask questions and remember what your provider tells you. At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests.
Also write down any new instructions your provider gives you. Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you. The spasms generally occur throughout the body, but sometimes they are localized to the muscles near the entry wound.
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 days to 6 weeks after the wound has been infected, but the typical incubation period time between infection and symptoms is 5 to 10 days. Symptoms can be mild or severe and include:. People with tetanus often develop a fixed expression with a tight, stretched smile and arched eyebrows. They often go into painful whole-body spasms when slightly disturbed, for example by fluffing their pillow.
They may sweat a great deal during these spasms. They may be unable to speak because of spasms in the chest or throat — these can also make breathing difficult. Rigidity in the bladder and bowels can cause retention of urine and constipation.
People with tetanus are usually mentally alert. The pulse can be fast, but fever is rarely very high. Sometimes the face is unaffected and the spasms are confined to muscles near the wound. In this case, there is a better chance of a full recovery. Complications of tetanus can include pneumonia, broken bones, skin sores, muscle tears, low blood pressure and death most commonly from respiratory failure.
The bacteria can't always be detected in the wound, but the particular combination of symptoms and a recent wound usually paints a clear picture of tetanus.
Meningitis and encephalitis brain infections can cause similar spasms and rigidity, but they usually interfere with senses such as hearing, while tetanus doesn't.
Taking a sample of cerebrospinal fluid CSF allows the doctor to rule out both of these diseases. People with tetanus need to be in an intensive care unit so they can receive treatment and continuous monitoring.
Supportive care: The biggest threat is to breathing. People who get tetanus usually have mechanically assisted ventilation through a breathing tube.
This may involve a tracheostomy , which is a tube inserted directly through a hole cut in the throat. Because people with tetanus may not be able to swallow, they are usually given nourishment either intravenously or through a nasogastric NG tube, which is inserted through the nose, past the throat, and into the stomach. Contaminated or more-serious wounds require a vaccination booster if it's been five or more years since your last tetanus shot.
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Diagnosis Doctors diagnose tetanus based on a physical exam, medical and vaccination history, and the signs and symptoms of muscle spasms, muscle rigidity and pain. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Bennett JE, et al. Tetanus Clostridium tetani.
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