Diphtheria: Symptom, Information, causes, Treatment of Diphtheria
Synonyms and related keywords for Diphtheria: Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Corynebacterium ulcerans
What is Diphtheria?
Diphtheria is an infection
and contagious disease
which is caused by a bacteria. One feature of Diptheria is a membrane appears on one of the tonsils and continues to grow. It is surrounded by a zone of inflammation. The glands of the neck are usually enlarged.
Diphtheria
Symptom
In Diphtheria, patients may present with a large variety of symptoms and complaints. Some Diphtheria symptom are described below -
Diphtheria Symptoms -
1. The onset of Diphtheria is mild, with a low fever and soreness of the throat.
2. As diphtheria symptom, a membrane appears on one of the tonsils and continues to grow. It is surrounded by a zone of inflammation. The glands of the neck are usually enlarged.
3. Another sign and symptom of diphtheria fever is that the child is extremely weak and if the poison of the disease reaches the heart there is little hope for the patient.
4. The malady is ascribed to some germs and the doctors talk of incubation periods, all children do not get it even if they come in contact with infection.
What are the causes of Diphtheria?
Proneness to the diphtheria disease is the major causitive factor. Wrong feeding, unhygienic living and continued constipation are the real culprits.
Modern medicine has developed a serum or anti-toxin to prevent Diphtheria but cases are on record where the administration of the serum sometimes suppresses the helpful bacteria and the toxins and impurities which the system was trying to throw off.
Treatment of Diphtheria
The treatment of Diphtheria must begin with a fast. No milk should be given to the patient. Warm water eneme must be given to the patient twice daily. The child must lie on the one side and not on his back so that he does not swallow the secretions from the infected tonsils. Absorbant cotton balls may be placed in the mouth to absorb the secretions.
Cold packs should be applied to the throat at two-hourly intervals and if the fever goes high the whole body should be treated to a cold packs.
After several hours of a high temperature, the sweating begins and the fever comes down leaving the patient extremely weak and emaciated. The diphtheria fever may come again, the next day, two days after or even three days later.
|
