The term diphtheria is very common to us even in the present days, though the resurgence of this disease has been reduced to an excessively low rate. This has been possible due to the newer forms of vaccination, and has been almost eradicated from the world, specially the developed countries. Some of the developing countries still have few cases of diphtheria. At one point of time, a large number of mortality was caused by diphtheria.
This is a highly contagious disease caused by bacterial infection. A highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the throat and the nose is called diphtheria. Diphtheria is more commonly seen in children. But this disease is now under control, and is rarely seen in developed countries as a result of widespread vaccination campaigns.
The word Diphtheria comes from Greek διφθερα (diphthera) that means a “pair of leather scrolls”. This is an upper respiratory tract illness that is generally characterized by sore throat, mild fever, and a pseudomembrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and nasal cavity. Diphtheria can be seen on the skin too, but it is in a much milder form..
One of the most notable outbreaks of diphtheria was seen in Nome, Alaska. This was such a great phenomenon that the trip that was made to get the antitoxin for the cure of diphtheria is now celebrated in the form of Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
The prevalence of diphtheria is also noticed in the royal family of Britain. Queen Victoria's second daughter, Princess Alice of Hesse and her family suffered from diphtheria. Princess Alice died of diphtheria after she contracted it from her children in while nursing them.
Diphtheria has been marked as a serious disease, having a fatality rate between 5% and 10%. This fatality rate may be as much as 20% in children under 5 years and adults over 40 years.
Causes of Diphtheria
The cause of diphtheria is a particular type of bacterial infection. Corynebacterium diphtheriae is the bacteria that cause diphtheria. After being infected by these bacteria, toxins are released into the blood of the affected individual. Then this infection can potentially lead to further complications of the heart, kidneys and central nervous system, that can be life threatening.
Diphtheria is highly contagious disease. This disease can be easily caused through the contamination by the affected person’s
Direct physical contact
Coughing
Sneezing
Used utensils
Symptoms of Diphtheria
There are some marked symptoms of diphtheria that can give away the disease. But the problem lies in the fact that most of these symptoms, at the primary stage, are common with general illnesses like influenza, etc. The more specific and common symptoms of diphtheria are as follows:
Sore throat
Swollen lymph glands on the neck
Mild Fever
Growth of a grey membrane across the throat making it difficult to breathe properly
Suffocation
Sores on the skin in case of Cutaneous diphtheria
Skin lesion on the leg
Treatment of Diphtheria
Diphtheria can lead to serious outcomes like heart failure, kidney failure, or even the nervous system malfunction. Therefore if a patient is detected with diphtheria, he must be immediately treated with an antitoxin to neutralize the diphtheria toxins as well as antibiotics to kill remaining bacteria. The patient detected with diphtheria also needs to be transferred to a hospital immediately.
The other measures that can be taken to treat a patient with diphtheria are as follows:
Isolate the patient to avoid contamination of others
Give intensive care support to heart, kidneys, lungs as they are most affected
Insertion of tubes in the throat to prevent suffocation, as discovered by the U.S physician Joseph O’Dwyar in 1880s.
Antitoxin to neutralize the bacteria, as discovered by German physician Emil von Behring, who won the Nobel prize for this discovery.
Serum therapy
Tracheotomy
Antibiotics for local healing of the disease
Advice:
Remember this is a highly contagious disease and so avoid its spread by staying away from a person who is suffering from this ailment. Do not neglect this disease as if untreated it can cause even death.
