Can tetanus be fatal?

Written by Li Jin Quan
General Surgery
Updated on September 28, 2024
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Firstly, severe tetanus, if not treated in time, can be fatal. When infected with tetanus, the early symptoms mainly include dizziness, headache, fatigue, decreased appetite, weak chewing, soreness or cramping of the jaw muscles, or muscle tension. Of course, when tetanus is severe, it can manifest as difficulty opening the mouth, risus sardonicus, opisthotonos, and stiff neck. In severe cases, there may be difficulty breathing, respiratory arrest, and even cardiac arrest. If in this situation, we do not promptly carry out emergency treatment, the tetanus patient can die.

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Written by Ai Bing Quan
General Surgery
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Can you drink alcohol with tetanus?

After receiving a tetanus vaccine, it is not recommended to drink alcohol. It is best to avoid spicy, stimulating, and greasy foods. Usually, when patients are injured, they may need to receive a tetanus vaccine. Especially when injured by rusty metal, the tetanus vaccine can effectively prevent tetanus. However, drinking alcohol at the same time as receiving the tetanus vaccine can easily lead to a drug reaction, causing adverse reactions. For example, increased heart rate, dizziness, palpitations, vomiting, and even shock, which can be life-threatening in severe cases. Furthermore, drinking alcohol is also detrimental to the healing of wounds. Depending on the recovery of the body, patients can generally drink a small amount of alcohol after a week.

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Written by Ai Bing Quan
General Surgery
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Where to get a tetanus shot?

Tetanus can be treated in any department, but generally, after an injury, one would first go to the emergency room. Therefore, tetanus is very common in emergency medicine. Tetanus is a type of anaerobic bacterium that is ubiquitous in nature. If a person has a wound that is small and deep, the internal environment can become anaerobic, which easily leads to rapid proliferation of tetanus. At this point, it is necessary to inject tetanus immunoglobulin into such wounds. It is best done within 24 hours because after a long period, the tetanus bacillus might have already proliferated in the wound. A skin test should be performed before the injection, and the injection can only proceed if the skin test is negative. If the wound is relatively large and severe, it generally will not be infected by tetanus bacillus.

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Written by Zhang Da Wei
General Surgery
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How long should you avoid certain foods after getting a tetanus shot?

Tetanus antitoxin medication serves a preventative function and is commonly used as a vaccine. Receiving a tetanus shot is essentially aimed at preventing infections from the tetanus bacterium. Generally, there are dietary restrictions to follow after getting the shot. The effect of this medication typically lasts about a week, during which it is necessary to observe these dietary restrictions. It is usually advisable to avoid spicy or cold foods, such as chili peppers, beef, lamb, dog meat, or seafood. These should be eaten sparingly or avoided altogether. Otherwise, these spicy foods might directly affect the efficacy of the tetanus antitoxin. In such cases, the prevention of tetanus infections could be significantly reduced, thereby increasing the likelihood of contracting tetanus bacterium.

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Written by Ai Bing Quan
General Surgery
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How to treat tetanus?

Generally speaking, a tetanus shot needs to be administered intramuscularly, but a skin test must be conducted before injection because tetanus vaccines can easily cause allergic reactions. The skin test usually involves a subcutaneous injection on the palm side of the forearm, followed by an observation period of 15 to 20 minutes. If there is no redness or itching, and the skin test is negative, then the vaccine can be administered intramuscularly, usually in the buttock. However, if the skin test is positive, as indicated by symptoms like redness, significant itching, or even systemic symptoms such as dizziness and cold sweats, it shows that the skin test for tetanus is positive. In this case, one can opt for a desensitization injection of diluted tetanus vaccine, followed by intramuscular injections four times, once every half hour, needing about two hours to complete.

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Written by Tang Da Wei
General Surgery
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How deep is a tetanus wound?

There is no clear boundary concerning how deep a wound needs to be to carry a risk of tetanus; mainly, it depends on whether the conditions allow for anaerobic bacteria to thrive. Particularly, wounds that are very small on the surface but deep can lead to substantial proliferation of tetanus bacilli. A common example is a foot wound caused by stepping on a nail, where the exterior opening of the wound is small, but it is deep inside, and the nail surface may be rusty and also carry a large amount of tetanus bacilli. If the wound is not promptly and thoroughly cleaned, it can lead to massive growth of tetanus bacilli, resulting in the onset of severe illness in the patient.