Tetanus

Disease	Injury	Nutrition	Poison

Special Topic	Surgery	Symptoms	Test

Tetanus

Alternative Names:

Lockjaw

Symptoms:

Spasms and tightening of the jaw muscle ("lockjaw")
Stiffness and spasms of various muscle groups
- Neck muscles
- Chest muscles
- Abdominal muscles
- Back muscles, often causing arching (opisthotonos)
Tetanic seizures (painful, powerful bursts of muscle contraction)
Irritability
Fever

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

Excessive sweating
Swallowing difficulty
Hand or foot spasms
Drooling
Uncontrolled urination and/or defecation

Signs and tests:

Diagnosis of tetanus is based on the history and physical findings that are characteristic of the disease. Diagnostic studies generally are of little value, as cultures of the wound site are negative for C. tetani two-thirds of the time. When the culture is positive, it confirms the diagnosis of tetanus

Tests that may be performed include the following:

Culture of the wound site (may be negative even if tetanus is present)
Tetanus antibody test

Other tests may be used to rule out meningitis, rabies, strychnine poisoning, or other diseases with similar symptoms.

Review Date: 1/7/2003
Reviewed By: Eleftherios Mylonakis, M.D., Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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