Five Tetanus Symptoms You Should Look Out For


Tetanus symptoms usually manifest somewhere between 4 and 21 days after the individual has come in contact with the Clostridium tetani bacteria. In most cases, a majority of the symptoms are seen around 10 days after contracting the infection.

The symptoms of tetanus primarily include rigidity in the muscles, accompanied by stiffness and involuntary contractions of the muscles. Initially, the tetanus symptoms appear in the muscles close to the infected area. If left untreated, they eventually spread to other areas of the body.

tetanus symptoms
In severe cases of tetanus, tetanus symptoms include muscles spasms in the vocal cords.

Tetanus Symptoms – Five Signs You Should be Aware Of

Some of the most common symptoms seen in individuals with a Clostridium tetani bacterial infection are:

  1. Lockjaw Or Trismus

    This is one of the most common symptoms seen in individuals with tetanus. It is characterized by a rigidity in the muscles of the mouth. This condition takes away the individual’s ability to chew and swallow any kind of food, which makes it near impossible to take in food in the normal way. As a result, tetanus patients are often required to get their daily nutritional sustenance through a tube attached to their stomach. In many cases, some form of nutrition is injected directly into a vein.

  2. Sardonicus Or Sardonic Smile

    Clinically, this condition is known as Risus Sardonicus. It is marked by spasms that occur in the facial muscles.

  3. Ophisthotonus

    This symptom shows spasms in the muscles supporting the spine. It increasingly causes the spine, and as a result the entire body, to bend like a bow. Eventually, the muscle spasms spread to the legs and arms as well. This is a progressive condition that can also cause dislocation of the joints, and in the worst of cases, the bones may break.

  4. Spreading Muscle Spasms

    In severe cases of the tetanus infection, the muscle spasms occur in the vocal cords as well as in the throat and chest muscles. This makes breathing very difficult and individuals with such a condition often require ventilator support. If timely care and treatment are not provided, such an advanced stage of the disease can lead to the death of the individual.

    lockjaw symptoms
    Risus Sardonicus, characterized by spasms in the facial muscles, is one of the common lockjaw symptoms.
  5. A Set Of Other Symptoms

    You must b on the lookout for other tetanus symptoms like increased drooling, sweating, an increase in temperature, high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, irritability, and uncontrolled urination or defecation.

Tetanus symptoms can turn fatal quite fast. They must be treated at the earliest. Of course, it is always ideal to take proper precautions for tetanus prevention instead of dealing with the fallout of the disease.


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