Lockjaw

Lockjaw is also called tetanus, a serious bacterial disease affecting nerves and muscles. Tetanus bacterium lies and spreads through the environment, especially in soil that is contaminated with manure and animal and human feces.

Lockjaw occurs more in older people, where there is inadequate immunization and in agricultural women in contact with animal manure. Developing countries also have an increasing number of neonatal lockjaw cases because of inadequate immunization of pregnant women.

Tetanus generally spreads in unvaccinated people through contaminated cuts or deep wounds. Even surgical procedures, clean wounds, insect bites, intravenous drug use and dental infections can lead to tetanus in unvaccinated people. However tetanus does not spread from person to person.

Symptoms

Its symptoms include stiffness that starts at the jaw and neck, and progresses to other body parts. The patient experiences difficulty in swallowing, spasms, fever, sweating and rigidity of their abdominal muscles.

While the incubation period for the tetanus bacterium is usually 8 days, it may range from 3 days to 3 weeks. However in case of heavily contaminated wounds, the incubation period is shorter.

Complications

Complications that may arise are vocal cord or respiratory muscle spasms that restrict breathing, spinal or long bone fractures that occur from stiff muscles, abnormal heartbeats, coma, increased blood pressure, an infection, clotting in lung blood vessels and pneumonia. Death may also occur, especially in patients above 60 years of age, and in unvaccinated people.

Treatment options

In case of clean and minor wounds, a tetanus texoid-containinng vaccine is sufficient treatment. However in case of severe wounds, the patient may require a tetanus immune globulin TIG in addition to a vaccine.

Supportive care and therapy may be required to control severe spasms if there is any development in the disease. A tetanus attack does not in any way result in immunity to the disease. There is always a chance of second attacks occurring, so it is better to get immunized after recovery.

There is a new treatment option available for tetanus patients, the TENS unit. This is an instrument with electrodes that emit small, pulsating currents. The unit is placed on the skin near the TMJ joints, wherein this current creates jaw-muscle stimulation, decompresses joints and relaxes muscles.

Tetanus vaccine

The tetanus vaccine, tetanus toxoid has been in use for many years in combination vaccines like DTP and DT. Besides this vaccination at childhood, everyone should get a tetanus booster shot every ten years. It is only through a high level of immunization in the community is it possible to prevent tetanus, and its spread.