ABSTRACT
Eighty eight patients presenting with fatal typhoid complications were studied in Abbassia and Embaba fever hospitals during a 4 years period [1987 - 1991]. Criterion of inclusion in the study was either positive. blood culture in 70 [80%] cases or postmortem gross appearance of typhoid fever in 18 [20%] cases. Positive blood culture cases included 54 [77%] S. typhi and 16 [23%] S. paratyphi A. Seven [10%] cases were resistant in vitro to chloramphenicol. Postmortem examination performed in 18 [20%].cases revealed typical typhoid ulcers in ileum, jejunum and large intestine. The main clinical picture of 31 toxic, 22 encephalitic or meningeal irritating, 15 gastroenteritic, 9 pneumonic, 8 perforated and 3 haemorrhagic enteric fever cases were discussed. The tetrad of fever, toxic look, bronchitic Chest, tumid tympanitic abdomen and splenomegaly was a good sign for suggestion of typhoid diagnosis
Subject(s)
Humans , Mortality , DiagnosisABSTRACT
Two hundred and seventy patients were studied during a 2 years period in Abbassia and Embaba fever hospitals. The duration of illness before admission was less than 20 days. Suggestive clinical symptoms and/or signs of each disease were stressed. Rapid laboratory investigations include slide typhoid agglutination test [98%] in enteric fevers, slide malta agglutination test [86%] in brucellosis, urine culture [100%] in urinary tract infection, gram stain of C.S.F. in bacterial meningitis [80%], encephalitis [0%] and meningeal irritation [0%], high vaginal swab culture [100%] in puerperal fevers, echocardiogram [100%] in infective endocarditis, high E.S.R. [100%] and positive C.R.P [71%] and/or high A.S.O [86%] in rheumatic fever, counterimmunoelectrophoresis [86%] in amoebic liver abscess, chest X-ray in pneumonia [100%], pulmonary tuberculosis [100%] and pleural effusion [100%], ultrasound of lymph nodes [100%] in tuberculous. lymphadenitis. Erysipelas and tetanus were diagnosed on clinical grounds only