Toxic shock syndrome

Toxic shock syndrome
Toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 protein from staphylococcus
Medical specialtyInfectious disease
SymptomsFever, rash, skin peeling, low blood pressure[1]
ComplicationsShock, kidney failure[2]
Usual onsetRapid[1]
TypesStaphylococcal (menstrual and nonmenstrual), streptococcal[1]
CausesStreptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, others[1][3]
Risk factorsVery absorbent tampons, skin lesions in young children[1]
Diagnostic methodBased on symptoms[1]
Differential diagnosisSeptic shock, Kawasaki's disease, Stevens–Johnson syndrome, scarlet fever
TreatmentAntibiotics, incision and drainage of any abscesses, intravenous immunoglobulin[1]
PrognosisRisk of death: ~50% (streptococcal), ~5% (staphylococcal)[1]
FrequencyStaphylococcal: 0.3 to 0.5 cases per 100,000 population
Streptococcal: 2 to 4 cases per 100,000 population

Toxic shock syndrome or TSS is a non-common, deadly infection caused by toxins from bacteria.

Toxic shock syndrome is usually caused by Staphylococcus bacteria, but it can also be caused by Streptococcus bacteria.

Symptoms

Symptoms of toxic shock syndrome can show up suddenly. The disease can be very deadly. The symptoms are different when it is caused by different bacteria. When it is caused by Staphylococcus aureus, the symptoms are generally high fever, low blood pressure, confusion, and malaise. If the disease is not treated, someone with toxic shock syndrome caused by Staphylococcus aureus can go into a coma.

When toxic shock syndrome is caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, it usually is a rash that was already there getting worse. People with toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes have pain where the rash is, then the following symptoms happen very quickly:

The symptoms of toxic shock syndrome include:

Causes

Toxic shock syndrome can be caused by many things. The most common reasons are injuries to the skin that allow bacteria to get into the bloodstream, and tampons.

Treatment

Many people with toxic shock syndrome have to stay in the hospital. If it is very bad, they might have to go to the intensive care unit. If the reason that they have toxic shock syndrome is because of tampon use, doctors will make sure that they take the tampon out. If the reason that they have toxic shock syndrome is an injury (an abscess or other infection), the injury has to be drained.

Antibiotics like cephalosporin, penicillin, and vancomycin are used to stop the bacteria from growing. Clindamycin and gentamicin stop the toxins from being produced.

Tampons and toxic shock syndrome

In 1978, Procter and Gamble (a United States company that sells many different products) started selling tampons called Rely. Rely tampons could be left in for a whole menstrual cycle, which is from 2 to 8 days. Women who used Rely tampons sometimes got toxic shock syndrome because of this.[4] Other tampons that are left in for a long time can also cause toxic shock syndrome.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Low, Donald E. (1 July 2013). "Toxic Shock Syndrome: Major Advances in Pathogenesis, But Not Treatment". Critical Care Clinics. 29 (3): 651–675. doi:10.1016/j.ccc.2013.03.012. ISSN 0749-0704.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Toxic shock syndrome: A rare but potentially fatal condition-Toxic shock syndrome - Symptoms & causes". Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gottlieb, Michael; Long, Brit; Koyfman, Alex (1 June 2018). "The Evaluation and Management of Toxic Shock Syndrome in the Emergency Department: A Review of the Literature". Journal of Emergency Medicine. 54 (6): 807–814. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2017.12.048. ISSN 0736-4679. PMID 29366615.
  4. ↑ CDC 1980. "Toxic-shock syndrome--United States." MMWR 29(20):229-230.

Other websites

Classification
External resources
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.