Leptospirosis : Oftenly Misdiagnosed

 What is Leptospirosis?
It is a bacterial disease which spreads through urine of infected animals e.g. dogs, rodents and farm animals.

It is spread to humans via direct contact with the urine of infected animal or via contaminated food and water. Its more common in warm and humid climates. 


Causative organism

It is caused by a Leptospira spirochete bacterium. It has both pathogenic and saprophytic strains present in the environment. Its existence is basically seen in stagnant water reservoirs like bogs, shallow lakes, ponds etc.




Leptospira-  It is a spiral shaped long bacterium which is mostly present in warm and humid climates. It causes a serious condition called leptospirosis and worse it left untreated or ignored.





Symptoms of Leptospirosis

  • High fever
  • Headache                                                 

                    
  • Chills
  • Muscle aches
  • Vomiting
  • Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)
  • Red eyes
  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Rash
Leptospirosis may occur in 2 phases:
Phase 1-  Fever, chills, muscle aches
Phase 2- Condition affecting kidney and liver leading to their failure.
So, this says the severity of the condition, that if left untreated, it can be fatal(death causing)

It affects kidneys, liver, meninges(layers of brain ; respiratory distress is also caused.

Diagnosis:
 It can be diagnosed via Blood PCR.
It becomes detectable in urine after 1 week of illness.




Treatment:
Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics such as doxycycline or penicillin , which should be given early in the course of the disease. Intravenous antibiotics may be required for persons with more severe symptoms.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unexplained Hair Loss

Image
                                   USEFUL BUT IGNORED REASONS Hi! whenever I scroll down the social media platforms , I usually find various "effective" hair products that can benefit you in several ways like:- hair fall control, dandruff control, early graying of hair etc. But for what reason that I do not understand is how to decide if these products will be beneficial to oneself or not? It can only be decided if we are fully aware about the cause that is leading to such conditions.  Let me give you an example! I hope everyone will be able to relate with that because I am going to consider the recent Corona pandemic that we all went through globally. But if noticed that we were only able to combat that deadly situation after proper research and establishing the target . After that the results were promising. Now consider the major problem of hair fall among men and women. I hear people talki...
Read more

Is It Just a Cold? Understanding Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV)

It's that time of year again – sniffles, coughs, and that general feeling of being under the weather. While we often blame the common cold or flu, there's another respiratory virus making the rounds: Human Metapneumovirus, or HMPV. HMPV stands for Human Metapneumovirus. It's a common respiratory virus that can cause infections in the nose, throat, and lungs.  Symptoms 1. Cough: This is often a prominent symptom, which can be dry or produce mucus. 2. Fever: You might experience a mild to high fever. 3. Runny or stuffy nose: This can involve nasal congestion, discharge, and sneezing. 4.Sore throat: You might feel scratchy or irritated. 5.Wheezing: This is a high-pitched whistling sound during breathing, often more noticeable in young children. 6.Shortness of breath: This can range from mild difficulty breathing to more severe cases requiring hospitalization. HMPV symptoms can be very similar to those of other respiratory illnesses like the common cold, flu, and RSV. This can ...
Read more

Alice in the wonderland Syndrome

Image
                ALICE IN THE WONDERLAND SYNDROME  We have all read and heard about this fictional story and journey from innocent childhood to youth and finally into adulthood , but nobody could have imagined that the dreams of that young girl could become a nightmare for some ailing people and become a full blown syndrome. Today I will introduce you to the condition called “Alice in the wonderland Syndrome “. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) is a neurological condition that causes distorted perceptions of the body and the environment. People experiencing AIWS may feel like their body is growing or shrinking, or that objects around them are changing size. Causes: Migraines: AIWS is often associated with migraines. Medications: Certain medications, such as antidepressants and antihistamines, can trigger AIWS. Underlying medical conditions: Viral infections, epilepsy, and tumors can also cause AIWS. Substance abuse: Drugs and alco...
Read more