What are the Common Causes of Typhoid Fever, and How to Treat Them?
Typhoid fever occurs when water and food that contains salmonella bacteria can cause typhoid fever. Besides that, if you come in contact with an individual who has this bacteria can cause typhoid fever.
Typhoid fever can cause flu-like symptoms, high fever and even diarrhea. You might be contagious with this condition even when you don’t feel its symptoms.
Besides that, let’s learn more about typhoid causes and the various treatment options available.
What Exactly Causes the Typhoid Fever?
When it comes to typhoid causes, it occurs due to “S Typhi” or the “salmonella bacteria”. This bacteria spreads through the contaminated water, drink or food. If you drink or eat something that contains this bacteria, the salmonella bacteria will enter the body.
After that, the bacteria will travel through the intestines. It will also make its way into the blood, which will travel into the spleen, lymph nodes, gallbladder, liver and other parts of your body.
When people eat uncooked food products, such as fruits without the peel, it can lead to typhoid causes in them. This type of fever is pretty common in developing nations, such as India and has been a primary health condition in the country.
India reports 4.8 million cases of Typhoid fever every year. Children are the most who suffer from this disease mainly due to their still-developing immune systems. But the disease affects less severely compared on children compared to adults.
The Risk Factors of Typhoid Fever
Typhoid is viewed as a threat and can affect hundreds and thousands of individuals every year. That’s why it will be better not to travel to places or areas that have recorded countless typhoid cases or has regular outbreaks.
But if you live within a nation where typhoid fever is pretty rare, you might be at risk of developing it if you:
Travel or work in places where typhoid fever occurs a lot, especially when you’re traveling to visit your relatives or clients. Individuals who visit their friends and family are at a much higher risk when they are told to drink or eat food products.
If you’re a clinical microbiologist and work with the “salmonella bacteria”, there is a high chance of developing typhoid fever.
When you come in contact with a person who is infected or got infected by typhoid fever, it might increase your chances of developing it too.
Treatment Options Available for Typhoid Fever
Even though typhoid fever is life-threatening, with proper treatment, you will surely recover from it. The condition is treated mostly with antibiotics. These antibiotics are:
- Cephalosporins: This antibiotic prevents the bacteria from building up on the cell walls. If there is antibiotic resistance taking place, ceftriaxone, which falls under the class of cephalosporins, is used.
- Macrolides: These are antibiotics that keep the bacteria from producing proteins. One type of macrolide known as Zithromax [Azithromycin] is used when there is resistance to antibiotics.
- Carbapenems: These are antibiotics that are used to prevent bacteria from building on the cell walls. But these antibiotics concentrate on different stages when compared with cephalosporins. Carbapenems are only used when severe conditions do not respond to other types of antibiotics.
- Fluoroquinolones: These antibiotics are mostly prescribed by healthcare experts for typhoid fever. They help in stopping the bacteria from replicating themselves. But there are many types of bacteria that can easily live through the treatment. These types of bacteria are known as “antibiotic-resistant.
Apart from these types of treatment options, there are several other ways through which typhoid fever gets treated. These are:
- Drinking Plenty of Fluids: When you drink plenty of water, it will stop dehydration, which occurs due to diarrhea or fever. When you feel extremely dehydrated, you have to receive the fluid through the vein.
- Surgery: When your intestines are damaged, you need to opt for a surgical procedure to repair them.
How to Prepare for the Doctor’s Appointment?
When you’re experiencing the symptoms of typhoid fever, you should speak to your doctor without fail. This is especially true when you have travelled to a nation or place that has a high chance of typhoid fever to occur.
Before visiting the doctor, list down all the symptoms that you’ve experienced and for how long you’ve been experiencing them. Besides that, you also need to let your doctor know about your medical history.
Make sure to provide all the correct information so that the doctor can provide you with the correct treatment.
Final Thoughts
Typhoid fever is a severe condition that occurs both in children and adults. You might develop the condition if you visit or travel to places that have a regular outbreaks of typhoid. Be sure to speak with your physician if you are experiencing the symptoms of typhoid fever.