A typhoid fever diagnosis can be scary, as you may have heard that the disease can quickly become serious and, if not treated in time, deadly. While you have every right to worry about your health, know that modern medicine has made it so typhoid fever does not have to have lasting or fatal consequences. In fact, with swift and proper care and treatment, you can return to normal health within seven to 10 days and be bacteria-free within just a few short months.
Because swift and proper treatment are critical components of a full recovery, it is important that you are aware of the signs and symptoms of typhoid fever. The most tell-tale sign is the fever itself, which may start low but will spike throughout the day. Many people with typhoid fever have temperatures that reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius. Other symptoms of typhoid fever are as follows:
Because the other symptoms resemble those of other and often less serious illnesses, you should pay particular attention to your fever. If it rises quickly, and if there is any possibility you could have typhoid fever, seek a diagnosis from your doctor right away.
If your doctor diagnoses you with typhoid fever, he or she will put you on an antibiotic regimen to start killing the Salmonella Typhi bacterium. Because there are various types of the bacteria, and because many of the newer types can survive antibiotic treatment, your doctor will put you on several types of antibiotics to combat all possible types. Antibiotics your healthcare team may prescribe are as follows:
If you already have signs of complications, your doctor may also put you on steroids.
It is important to know that antibiotic resistance is a real risk with typhoid fever. It is not uncommon for bacteria such as S. Typhi to develop a resistance to medications, meaning medications that once worked to destroy them no longer do. This is another reason your doctor may put you on more than one medication.
Alarmingly, many cases of typhoid that occur today cannot be cured with the antibiotics doctors once used to destroy the bacteria. Moreover, many strains are becoming increasingly resistant, such as XDR typhoid, and only a handful of antibiotics continue to work on them. The mounting resistance, combined with the very real fear that modern medicine will stop working on typhoid, has global health organizations urging residents of and travellers to certain regions to get their typhoid vaccinations.
If you contract typhoid fever, the best thing you can do for your long-term health is to take your antibiotics as directed. If you are in pain or discomfort, you may be able to take over the counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications or acetaminophen to help relieve symptoms. However, before you do, consult with your doctor, as you do not want to take anything that may adversely interact with your antibiotics.
If you take antibiotics early in your illness, and if they work as they are supposed to, you stand to recover within a week to 10 days. However, even once you finish your medications and start to feel better, you may remain contagious for months afterward. For this reason, you should take extra precautions when preparing food, washing your hands after using the restroom and interacting with others in general.
Not only may you remain contagious with typhoid fever for months after feeling better but also, you run the risk of experiencing a typhoid relapse. People who experience relapses typically do so within one week to a few months after the cessation of symptoms. Symptoms of a typhoid relapse are usually milder than those of an initial infection but are just as serious. If your symptoms begin to return, contact your healthcare provider immediately.
If left untreated, typhoid fever can cause severe complications. Those include but are not limited to the following:
Each of these complications are serious and can be life threatening, which is why it is crucial to be on the lookout for each both while you are ill and post-treatment.
Ideally, you will see a doctor as soon as you suspect typhoid fever or as soon after a typhoid fever diagnosis as possible. The sooner you seek medical attention, then sooner you can begin antibiotic treatment.
That said, if you are in the later stages of typhoid fever and/or failed to seek an early diagnosis, visit your local emergency department if you experience one or more of the following:
The presence of one or more of these symptoms is cause for a medical emergency. However, even if these symptoms are not present, you should treat typhoid fever as a serious illness that requires immediate medical attention, diagnosis and treatment.