How much do you know about tetanus?

This is the 3984th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

Unconsciously, it is summer again. Due to less clothing, various types of injuries have increased significantly. Almost every time a patient with an injury asks about tetanus, I think it is necessary to give you a more comprehensive popular science on "tetanus" here.

Many patients often ask, "What is tetanus? Is it a bacterial infection? Can I take medicine instead of an injection?"

Tetanus is an acute infectious disease caused by Clostridium tetani invading the human body through skin or mucous membrane wounds, growing and multiplying in an oxygen-deficient environment, producing toxins that cause paroxysmal muscle spasms. The toxins attack the patient's nervous system, causing the patient to experience symptoms such as clenched teeth, paroxysmal spasms, and tonic spasms. The disease develops rapidly and has a high mortality rate, but it can be prevented through vaccination.

So tetanus is not a bacterial infection, and it cannot be replaced by taking medicine! Tetanus antitoxin or tetanus immunoglobulin must be injected!!!

So what kind of wounds require tetanus shots?

There are two situations in which wounds need tetanus: 1. The outer opening of the wound is small and deep, such as a rusty nail piercing into the wound. Due to the small outer opening of the wound, it is not easy to clean thoroughly. Moreover, Clostridium tetani is an anaerobic bacterium. The rapid growth of the outer opening creates an anaerobic environment, which is very conducive to the growth of Clostridium tetani. 2. The wound surface is accompanied by a lot of foreign matter such as sludge and sand. At this time, the wound trauma is more serious. It is necessary to use normal saline, iodine tincture, and hydrogen peroxide to wash the wound surface as soon as possible to make the wound sterile. Patients should clean the wound in time and inject tetanus antitoxin or tetanus immunoglobulin as soon as possible within 24 hours of injury to prevent tetanus infection.

It should be noted that thorough debridement of the wound is a very important method to prevent tetanus, and wound treatment should not be neglected just because of the tetanus injection.

What is the difference between tetanus antitoxin (horse tetanus immunoglobulin) and tetanus human immunoglobulin? Both preparations are tetanus immune substances, the former is extracted from horse serum, and the other is extracted from human plasma or serum. Both contain relatively high titers of tetanus antibodies, which can specifically neutralize tetanus toxin and can prevent and treat tetanus clostridium tetani infection.

However, a skin test must be done before injecting tetanus antitoxin (equine tetanus immunoglobulin) because many people will have an allergic reaction. Tetanus human immunoglobulin generally does not have an allergic reaction, so it can be injected directly without waiting for a half-hour skin test. It can also be used to treat tetanus allergy patients, but its price is relatively expensive and not every medical institution routinely reserves it.

The above is some basic knowledge about tetanus. I hope you can take out your precious time to read it in your busy schedule to provide safety protection for you and those around you.

Author: Shanghai Seventh People's Hospital

Ju Yufeng