Diagnosis of tetanus by an otorhinolaryngologist and immunity against tetanus among adults on the island of Crete.

Autor:	Kyrmizakis DE; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Crete School of Medicine, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. dkyrmiz@yahoo.com, Karatzanis AD, Liolios A, Papadakis CE, Benakis AA, Bizakis JG, Velegrakis GA
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-faciale [J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg] 2008 Feb; Vol. 37 (1), pp. 72-5.
Abstrakt:	Background: Tetanus (lockjaw) is a rare disease in developed countries. Methods: An otorhinolaryngologist can be the first physician to see a patient with tetanus. In our department, we have seen 10 such cases presenting with head and neck symptoms. We report 2 of these cases followed by an investigation of the immune status of the adult Cretan population against tetanus using 200 random patients who visited our clinic. Results: A negative history of complete childhood immunization was recorded in 37% of individuals. Of the male population, 88.5% had received active immunization during adulthood, although 47% had received all three doses. Only 12.6% of the females had received full-dose immunization during adulthood. Overall, only 8.5% of the studied population had received either complete immunization or a scheduled booster dose during the last decade. Conclusions: In many cases, an otorhinolaryngologist can be the first physician to examine a patient with tetanus. The incidence of the disease in Crete, Greece, is significantly higher than in most parts of developed countries.
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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