The diagnostics and treatment of tropical diseasesStitt, E. R. (Edward Rhodes)
Science
The diagnostics and treatment of tropical diseases
Stitt, E. R. (Edward Rhodes)
Tropical medicine
_East and West African Relapsing Fevers._—In African tick fever
after a period of incubation of from three to ten days the disease
sets in rather suddenly with dizziness, marked headache and general
body pains. The temperature quickly rises to 104°-105°F. and remains
elevated during this primary febrile period, except for slight
morning remissions. Vomiting is quite a feature of this disease and
may be bilious in character.
There may be rather marked praecordial oppression and a bronchial
catarrh. The pulse in particular and the respiration in less
degree are accelerated. Herpes and epistaxis may be noted. The
bronchial manifestations seem to occur chiefly in the first
febrile accession. The spleen is somewhat enlarged and tender
but in many cases this is not noted. Spirochaetes are found in
the peripheral circulation during the febrile accessions but not
during the apyrexial intervals. There is great variation as to the
abundance of spirochaetes. In some cases we may have to search
several hundred fields before finding a single spirochaete. Severe
cases may show them in abundance. A rather marked leucocytosis
may be present in cases showing high fever and bronchitis. After
about four days the fever falls by crisis, often below normal, and
possibly with great prostration and cardiac weakness.
A critical sweat is a feature of this rapid fall of temperature.
During the afebrile period, which lasts from three or four days to
eight to ten days, the patient feels much better and his appetite
and strength return. With the onset of the second pyrexial wave the
severe symptoms of the first days are repeated, as with the first
febrile period. This second one terminates by crisis. Iritis is not
uncommon. Manson and Thornton have reported transient cranial nerve
involvements coming on late in the course of the disease.
In European relapsing fever the second febrile accession is usually
shorter and of less severity than the first. Furthermore there are
rarely more than 2 or 3 relapses. In tick fever, however, there may
be as many as 10 of these febrile recurrences, although there are
usually only 4 or 5. In natives there is usually only one febrile
period, this probably being due to an immunity resulting from
previous infections.
_North African Type._—In the relapsing fever of North Africa the
attacks are less severe and the number of relapses rarely exceeds
three. A fever of Egypt, generally known as the _bilious typhoid of
Griesinger_, is believed to have been a form of relapsing fever. In
this there was marked bilious vomiting with great tenderness of the
liver, late jaundice, albuminuria, bone pains, especially about the
knees, and a high death rate. The symptoms rather suggest yellow
fever but this disease has never been reported from Egypt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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