Dysphagia and trismus: an unusual case of tetanus
Journal Title: Journal of Health and Social Sciences - Year 2016, Vol 1, Issue 1
Abstract
Tetanus is a life-threatening infection that is rare in the developed world; it is more frequent in the elderly people and immunocompromised patients. We report a case of a 53-year-old woman who presented with dysphagia, mouth pain and trismus. She did not report any injuries. The suspected diagnosis of tetanus was made. The blood examination showed severe lymphocytopenia and a positive result for the antinuclear antibody (ANA) test, with a suspected diagnosis of Sjogren’s syndrome. It is possible that her immunocompromised conditions could have led to the onset of tetanus, even after casual and minimal contact with Clostridium spores.
Authors and Affiliations
Antonio Villa, Marianna Gregorio, Francesca Bassi, Alessandra Perego, Maria Francesca Donato, Vilma Galimberti, Maria Grazia Bellotti, Antonella Cheldi
Keywords
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- EP ID EP216114
- DOI 10.19204/2016/dysp9
- Views 161
- Downloads 0
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