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Illustrated Health Encyclopedia
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Ency. home > Disease > T > Typhus

Typhus   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Murine typhus; Epidemic typhus; Endemic typhus; Brill-Zinsser disease; Jail fever

Symptoms

SYMPTOMS OF MURINE TYPHUS:

  • headache
  • backache
  • arthralgia
  • fever, extremely high (105 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit) and may last up to two weeks
  • rash that begins on the trunk and spreads peripherally (The rash is made up of dull red macules that may become slightly papular after the initial appearance may last only a few hours.)
  • nausea and vomiting in most patients
  • hacking dry cough
  • abdominal pain
SYMPTOMS OF EPIDEMIC TYPHUS:
  • severe headache
  • fever, high (104 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • cough in 70% of patients
  • arthralgia and myalgia, (muscle pain) severe
  • chills
  • falling blood pressure
  • stupor
  • delirium
  • rash that begins on chest and spreads to rest of trunk and extremities but not to palms and soles
  • early rash is faint and rose colored and fades with pressure (Later the lesions become dull red and do not fade. People with severe typhus may also develop petechiae.)
  • lights appear very bright and exposure to light may hurt the eyes

Signs and Tests

  • CBC may show anemia and low platelets
  • low serum sodium
  • low albumin levels in the blood
  • mildly increased liver enzymes
  • mild renal failure
  • antibody tests to typhus should be elevated

Ency. home > Disease > T > Typhus

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