What is diphtheria? All about the bacterial inflammation
Diphtheria is a bacterial inflammation of the throat. It only occurs very rarely in Germany and then mainly affects children or people with weak immune systems. In this article you will find out how you can recognize diphtheria and how the disease can be treated.
Cause and transmission of diphtheria
Diphtheria is transmitted by droplet or smear infection and is caused by some strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. While many strains are largely harmless to humans, some types of the bacterium can produce toxins. The bacterium is attacked by viruses, whereby the so-called diphtheria toxin is formed. When the infectious disease breaks out, there is severe inflammation of the throat or, for example, due to the colonization of diphtheria bacteria on open wounds, also of the skin.
In this country, diphtheria is hardly widespread, which is not least due to the consistent vaccination against this disease. However, the spread in many countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and South America is much greater, which is why a return of the infectious disease cannot be ruled out if the vaccination rate decreases.
symptoms of diphtheria
Diphtheria usually begins with a runny nose and a mild sore throat. In the course of the disease, characteristic bluish-white, greenish or, if the inflammation is accompanied by bleeding, black deposits form relatively quickly in the throat and on the oral mucosa. Affected people also have a sweetish bad breath, severe difficulty swallowing and suffer from swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
In a severe course of diphtheria, the deposits can spread into the larynx, for example, which in this case results in a strong, barking cough. If the toxins get into the bloodstream, life-threatening complications such as suffocation due to paralysis of the soft palate or the entire respiratory musculature can occur. Kidney or heart failure, for example due to heart muscle inflammation, are also possible consequences of the disease.
How can diphtheria be treated?
Even if diphtheria is suspected, a doctor should be consulted immediately so that treatment can be initiated as quickly as possible and thus the spread of the bacteria and the development of serious complications can be prevented.
Treatment options for diphtheria
With the early administration of an antitoxin and the long-term, intravenous administration of an antibiotic, diphtheria can be successfully treated in many cases. Admission to a hospital is usually necessary for the implementation of these intensive care measures, which also include the isolation of the patient.
Not only the diphtheria patient himself, but also close contacts should be examined, treated if necessary and quarantined.
The vaccination against diphtheria , which is also recommended by the Standing Vaccination Committee (STIKO) of the Robert Koch Institute, can reliably prevent infection with the infectious disease.