Diagnosis | Smallpox

Diagnosis

In order to be able to make a diagnosis of a smallpox infection, it is first of all important that the doctor asks the patient about possible stays abroad, in case there is another outbreak of a smallpox epidemic in another country. Since patients usually do not go to the doctor until the first visual signs appear, the clinical picture is often sufficient for the doctor to diagnose a smallpox infection. The patient has a typical skin condition, in addition to having a fever and feeling unwell. In addition, there is a quick test in which the virus is examined under a microscope.As it is the largest virus discovered so far, it is very easy to detect.

Frequency distribution

Smallpox is an extinct virus infection and therefore there are no patients with an active smallpox infection. Should a patient nevertheless show characteristic smallpox symptoms, he must report the case to the Robert Koch Institute and then be placed in an isolation ward to prevent the outbreak of an epidemic.

Symptoms

Patients with a smallpox infection show characteristic symptoms. Shortly after the infection, more general symptoms such as At first, there is an additional rash which can be felt all over the body, but this disappears again after a short time. The fever also typically recedes for a short time, so that the patient can get the feeling that he or she is fully recovered, although this initial stage is most infectious and even the patient’s clothes can infect others.

Then, however, a typical skin rash appears, which initially appears mainly on the face. Larger and smaller papules are formed. These are elevations of the skin that are filled with a liquid containing the virus and can burst open due to itching or scratching and then spread the virus everywhere.

With the papules, fever spikes occur again and again, the fever then rises continuously, whereby delusions or hallucinations can also occur again and again. The fever can also be accompanied by chills. The papules can spread all over the body, with the head, hands and feet most affected, and after some time they turn into pustules.

A pimple is different from a papule in that the papule still contains virus-containing fluid, while the pimple is filled with pus. The pustules can also burst open and empty their purulent contents. After emptying, scabbing and encrustation occur, and the pustules also begin to flatten.

For the patient, this last pustule stage is especially difficult, as it is associated with enormous itching, which causes the patient to constantly try to scratch and thus open the pustules. This can then lead to scars, similar to a patient with particularly bad acne. In this case one speaks of the characteristic smallpox scars. Depending on which subgroup of the virus the patient is infected with, the course of the disease is mild or the consequences are severe.

• Limb Pain
• Fever
• Throat complaints with swelling and inflammation (pharyngeal anthem).
• The patient feels weak and ill
• It can also cause back pain.