ABSTRACT
Diphtheria is an acute infectious disease caused by the exotoxin produced by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a gram positive bacteria. It has propensity to affect mainly cardiac muscle and nervous system. To study the percentage, spectrum of patients with various neurological complications and the pattern of recovery in followed up confirmed cases of diphtheria. Single centre prospective analysis of neurological complications in diphtheria patients from June 2019 to September 2020 at SMS Medical College and hospital,Jaipur. In this study, 60 cases were included. Immunised cases were 60% (36 out of 60 cases) whereas unimmunised constituted the rest 40% (24 out of 60 cases). Neurological complications were observed in 15% of the cases (9 out of 60). Isolated palatal palsy was the most common complication (4 out of 9 cases, 44.44%), succeeded by lower limb LMN palsies (2 out of 9 cases, 22.22%) with unilateral facial nerve palsy, bilateral abductor palsy and paralytic ileus constituting the rest (1 out of 9 cases each, 11.11% each). Onset of complications ranged from 10 to 36 days whereas recovery was complete and without any residual sequelae between 60 to 240 days. Our study concluded that neurological complications form a sizeable portion of post diptheritic complications and carries good prognosis, hence timely diagnosis and differentiation from other neuropathies is a pre requisite for rational management and contact tracing.
ABSTRACT
Diphtheria is an acute infectious upper respiratory tract disease caused by toxigenic strains of Corynebacterium diphtheria and can lead to significant morbidity and mortality in all the age groups. Most of the time diagnosis of diphtheria is clinical. There may be a dirty white patch covering one or both tonsils on examination for which throat swabs are collected for Kleb's-Loeffler's Bacillus (KLB) by direct microscopy and for culture and sensitivity of the organism. To find out the association between clinical diagnosis of diphtheria with smear and culture positivity. 674 cases of Clinical diphtheria were admitted from June 2017 to September 2020 at a tertiary care hospital, Sawai Mansingh Hospital, Jaipur. throat, difficulty in swallowing and swelling in the neck. Out of 674 patients of clinical diphtheria, majority 610 cases (90.5%) were found to have both KLB smear and culture negative. 13 cases (1.9%) were found to have both KLB smear and culture positive. 19 cases (2.8%) were found to have KLB smear positive and culture negative and remaining 32 cases (4.8%) were found to have KLB smear negative and culture positive. Out of 19 patients of KLB smear positive,11 cases (3.5%) were found to have complications. Out of 32 culture positive patients,24 cases (7.7%) were found to have complications. Out of 13 patients of both KLB smear and culture positive,11 cases (3.5%) were found to have complications. Our study concluded that the negative report of KLB smear and culture does not rule out diphtheria and it is evident that percentage of complication is high in patients with either KLB smear or culture or both positive with respect to both being negative. The correlation is found to be significant (p < 0.001).