Top 8 Typhoid Signs & Symptoms in Adults You Should Know

Max is a 15-year-old boy. Recently, his mother was diagnosed with typhoid and she had to go to the hospital. Max doesn’t know a lot about typhoid so to understand his mother’s condition, he researches typhoid symptoms in adults.

 Through his research, he learns a lot about typhoid in adults. This article provides the essential information that he learns about typhoid in adults.

Typhoid in Adults

Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection caused by a bacteria called Salmonella typhi. The bacteria Salmonella typhi is related to the bacteria that causes Salmonella food poisoning. 

Typhoid can spread throughout the whole body and affect many organs. The most common cause of typhoid fever is contamination of food and water or close contact with an infected person.

Typhoid is a serious health threat in countries that have poor sanitation and limited access to clean water. It is rarer in developed countries.

Adults experience more severe symptoms of typhoid fear in comparison to children. The most common signs and symptoms of typhoid fever are sustained high fever, headache, stomach pain and constipation or diarrhea.

Typhoid fever Is treated with antibiotic treatment. Vaccines against Typhoid are only partially effective. An estimated 11–21 million cases of typhoid fever and 200,000 deaths occur worldwide annually.

Symptoms of Typhoid in Adults

Symptoms for typhoid fever begin to show between 6 and 30 days after exposure to the bacteria.

The major symptoms and signs commonly found in adults having typhoid are:

• Fever: Fever is a common reaction of our immune system to any illness. Sustained fever which is fever that doesn’t come and go is a common symptom of typhoid. Typhoid fever is particularly high, gradually increasing over several days up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit or 39 to 40 degrees Celsius. Irritability, confusion and delirium also accompany high fever.
• Rash:  The rash doesn’t affect every patient of typhoid fever. It is characterized as rose-colored spots, particularly on areas like the neck and abdomen.
• Weakness: Weakness or asthenia is common with typhoid. It is a feeling of tiredness or body fatigue. It is characterized by lack of energy to move certain or all muscles of the body. Weakness may cause the suffering individual to not be able to move certain body parts. In cases of bacterial infection full body weakness is common.
• Abdominal pain: Pain between the chest and pelvic region is known as abdominal pain or stomach ache. The pain experienced can be achy, crampy, dull, sharp or intermittent.
• Cramp: like pain can be associated with constipation, diarrhea, flatulence or bloating. Typhoid fever can seriously affect the stomach and intestines  and cause pain.
• Constipation: Technically, constipation is defined as having less than three bowel movements a week. However,bowel movements differ from person to person. Some people use the toilet several times a day while some people use the toilet only once or twice a week. When you stray far away from your normal routine it is considered a problem.Dry and hard stools.
  Painful bowel movement.
  Difficulty in passing stools.
  Feeling like you have not fully emptied your bowels.
• Headaches: Headaches are common conditions that cause pain and discomfort in the head, scalp and neck region. Headaches can be both mild and severe. Severe headaches make it difficult to concentrate at work and perform daily activities.
• In rarer cases, symptoms include diarrhea, confusion and vomiting. These symptoms are not normally severe.

If left untreated, the conditions may worsen with the bowel becoming perforated.This usually takes place in the third week of illness. This can lead to peritonitis which is an infection of the tissue that lines the inside of the abdomen. This can be fatal.

Another infection, paratyphoid, is caused by Salmonella enterica. It has similar symptoms to typhoid, but it is less likely to be fatal.

Danger after symptoms disappear

The danger from typhoid fever doesn’t end when symptoms disappear. Even if your symptoms seem to go away, you may still be a carrier of Salmonella Typhi. If you are a carrier the illness might return again or you can pass the bacteria to other people. 

If you are a healthcare worker or someone who handles or someone who takes care of little children, it is absolutely essential for you to make sure that you no longer carry the bacteria from your doctor.

If you are being treated for typhoid fever, it is important to do the following to lower the chance that you will pass the bacteria on to someone else.

• Taking antibiotics for as long as your doctor has recommended, even if your symptoms disappear.
• Washing hands with soap and water carefully after using the bathroom.
• Do not prepare or serve food for other people.

Conclusion

Typhoid affects 11 to 21 million people worldwide. Without treatment  this disease can be fatal. It is most commonly found in underdeveloped countries. To prevent typhoid safe drinking water, improved sanitation and adequate medical care is required. If you are experiencing these symptoms and think you might be affected visit the doctor immediately.