What Are the Symptoms of Post-Tetanus Sequelae?

Tetanus is a disease caused by infection of the skin and mucous membranes with Clostridium tetani, which releases toxins. Symptoms of tetanus include difficulty opening the mouth, retraction of the corners of the mouth, stiff neck, and cyanosis of the face. Timely treatment is necessary for tetanus.

Tetanus can have sequelae, which mainly include pneumonia, atelectasis, and pulmonary edema. Other possible sequelae include spinal compression fractures, motor dysfunction due to sustained muscle contraction, as well as bedsores, septicemia, urinary retention, and respiratory arrest.

Tetanus is a disease caused by infection of the skin or mucous membranes with Clostridium tetani, which releases toxins. The incubation period of tetanus is usually 7 to 8 days, but it can range from 24 hours to several months or even years. Symptoms of tetanus include difficulty opening the mouth, furrowed brow, retraction of the corners of the mouth, a bitter smile, stiff neck, head tilted backward, opisthotonos, cyanosis of the face, and difficulty breathing, sometimes accompanied by respiratory arrest. These symptoms can be triggered by stimuli such as sound, light, or drinking water.

The main symptoms of tetanus are manifestations of disinhibition of the motor nervous system, including muscle rigidity and spasms. The muscle groups that are usually affected first are the masticatory muscles, followed by the facial muscles, neck, back, abdominal, and limb muscles, and finally the diaphragm. Signs of muscle rigidity include difficulty opening the mouth and locked jaws, abdominal muscles that are as hard as a board, stiff neck, and head tilted backward. When the back and abdominal muscles contract simultaneously, the trunk is distorted into a bow shape due to the stronger back muscle groups, forming an "opisthotonos" or "lateral opisthotonos". Paroxysmal muscle spasms occur on the basis of muscle rigidity, and muscle rigidity persists during the intervals between spasms. Corresponding signs include furrowed brow, retraction of the corners of the mouth, and a bitter smile due to facial muscle spasms; laryngeal obstruction, difficulty swallowing, and choking due to spasms of the pharyngeal muscles; difficulty breathing, cyanosis, and sudden respiratory arrest due to spasms of the respiratory and diaphragm muscles; and urinary retention due to spasms of the bladder sphincter muscle. Intense muscle spasms can lead to muscle rupture and even fractures.