Introduction Diphtheria (croup) is an infection of the throat by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphteriae. Diphtheria occurs preferably in temperate climate zones with high population density. Today, it has become rather rare in our latitudes due to timely vaccination protection. Since it is nevertheless a dangerous infectious disease, children should be immunized against diphtheria from the … Diphtheria
Symptoms The time between infection, i.e. contact with a diphtheria infected person, and the actual onset of symptoms (incubation period) is only two to four days! Since the germs are mainly located in the throat, sore throats occur at first. If the patient now looks down the throat, he/she will recognize a whitish-brown coating (pseudomembrane, … Symptoms | Diphtheria
Therapy The therapy has two goals. On the one hand, the body needs an antidote to the diphtheria toxin quickly, on the other hand, the producer of the toxin, i.e. the germ itself, must be fought to counteract a “toxin supply”. The antidote (antitoxin, diphtheria-antitoxin-Behring) can be provided quickly by a clinic. Conventional penicillin is … Therapy | Diphtheria
Consequences of diphtheria Even if only about five cases of diphtheria per year are known in our latitudes, the probability of dying from it or suffering consequential damage is alarmingly high. All parents are therefore advised to have their children vaccinated in time.Occasionally, diphtheria can also lead to myocarditis. This occurs in about 20% of … Consequences of diphtheria | Diphtheria