Diagnosis. Doctors can diagnose tetanus by asking about recent history of cuts, scrapes, punctures, and trauma, and examining someone for certain signs and symptoms. There are no hospital lab tests that can confirm tetanus.
Doctors diagnose tetanus based on a physical exam, medical and vaccination history, and the signs and symptoms of muscle spasms, muscle rigidity and pain. A laboratory test would likely be used only if your doctor suspects another condition causing the signs and symptoms.
The risk of death from tetanus is highest among people 60 years of age or older. Diabetes, a history of immunosuppression, and intravenous drug use may be risk factors for tetanus.
Signs and symptoms of generalized tetanus include: Painful muscle spasms and stiff, immovable muscles (muscle rigidity) in your jaw. Tension of muscles around your lips, sometimes producing a persistent grin. Painful spasms and rigidity in your neck muscles.
No specific laboratory tests exist for determining the diagnosis of tetanus. The diagnosis is clinically based on the presence of trismus, dysphagia, generalized muscular rigidity, spasm, or combinations thereof.
Doctors can diagnose tetanus by asking about recent history of cuts, scrapes, punctures, and trauma, and examining someone for certain signs and symptoms. There are no hospital lab tests that can confirm tetanus.
Strychnine poisoning is the only condition that truly mimics tetanus. However, a number of conditions (eg, dental or other local infections, hysteria, neoplasms, and encephalitis) may cause trismus, and these must be differentiated these conditions from tetanus.
What are the symptoms of tetanus? A common first sign of tetanus is muscular stiffness in the jaw (lockjaw). Other symptoms include stiffness of the neck, trouble swallowing, painful muscle stiffness all over the body, spasms, sweating, and fever.
The symptoms of tetanus usually develop 4 to 21 days after infection. On average, they start after around 10 days. The main symptoms include: stiffness in your jaw muscles (lockjaw), which can make opening your mouth difficult.
About 30 people in the U.S get tetanus annually, and one or two out of 10 cases can be fatal. Tetanus-associated deaths almost always occur among unvaccinated people, or those with incomplete or unknown vaccination history.
If you have an injury where you think tetanus could be a possibility and haven't had a booster shot within the past 5 years, you should get to the hospital within 24 hours. It's important to know that the size of the wound doesn't matter when it comes to tetanus.
Symptoms of tetanus may not begin to appear until a week after the injury, so as a rule of thumb, try to get the tetanus booster shot within 48 hours of the injury. If tetanus is left untreated, your body could face long-term complications such as airway obstruction, heart failure, muscle damage, and/or brain damage.
0 or 1 – Mild tetanus; mortality below 10% 2 or 3 – Moderate tetanus; mortality of 10-20% 4 – Severe tetanus; mortality of 20-40% 5 or 6 – Very severe tetanus; mortality above 50%
Tetanus bacteria can also infect someone's body through breaks in the skin caused by: Clean superficial wounds (when only the topmost layer of skin is scraped off)
You can get it through a cut or other wound. Tetanus bacteria are common in soil, dust, and manure. The tetanus bacteria can infect a person even through a tiny scratch. But you're more likely to get tetanus through deep punctures from wounds created by nails or knives.
Call Your Doctor About Tetanus If:
You are bitten by an animal or wounded by an object that might be contaminated with dirt, feces, or dust, and you have not been immunized against tetanus or received a booster within the last five years. Tetanus infection can be fatal and should be treated as soon as possible.
Once tetanus symptoms develop, it can take two to three weeks for the disease to run its course. With proper treatment, most people recover. But it can take several months to fully recover from tetanus.
Symptoms may go away without treatment, or they may spread. Infection that spreads is called generalized. You may develop any of the following within days or weeks of the infection: Lockjaw (a muscle spasm in the jaw and neck that locks your jaw closed)
Appropriate tetanus prophylaxis should be administered as soon as possible following a wound but should be given even to patients who present late for medical attention.
The disease usually occurs after an incubation period of 3 to 21 days, but ranges from 1 day to several months. Tetanus is sometimes found in dust and animal faeces.
After the complete course of tetanus vaccinations, another booster is usually recommended for people at age 50 and again at age 65, if it has been more than 10 years since the last dose. If you are unsure whether your tetanus vaccination is up to date, see your doctor. It is never too late.
A booster shot should be given within 48 hours of an injury to people whose immunization is out of date.
Do I need a tetanus shot for a small puncture? A: It depends. If the wound is small and clean, you probably don't need a tetanus shot. However, if the wound is large or dirty, you may need a booster shot.
Why Do Tetanus Shots Hurt? If you have received a tetanus shot and your arm is sore, you may be experiencing discomfort due to your body's production of antibodies in response to the viruses in the vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends tetanus vaccines for people of all ages.