Tétanos generalizado: caso clínico y revisión del tema

摘要

Tetanus is a severe and potentially mortal disease, which affects the Nervous System, caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani. It's endemic in developing countries, presenting in Chile with a rate of 0,02 cases per 100.000 habitants, but the antitetanic vaccine has reduced its incidence in developed countries. We present here a case report of a patient with generalized tetanus from our hospital. The clinical presentation was characterized by generalized increased muscle tone and trismus, and the patient was hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit. The neurologic manifestations were important for a period of 3 weeks, but then they started decreasing until the patient was discharged, without complications and being able to sit and walk with assistance. In relation to this case, we will review the actualizations in the subject of Tetanus. The recommended treatment includes support therapy, prevention of complications, antibiotics, muscle relaxants and anti-tetanospasmin immunoglobulin; all therapies that our patient received partially. The disease has a mortality that reaches the 50% in some series, but the ones who survive have a good prognosis and full recovery. This is why the presentation of this case is important, being an infrequent disease that must be diagnosed timely and be treated adequately.