Abstract
110 cases of tetanus, excluding neonatal tetanus, were studied with reference to aetiology, clinical manifestations, prognosis and evaluation of an effective combination of drugs. Most of the children belonged to rural (92.8%) areas, with unhygienic environmental conditions and a poor socioeconomic status. Otogenic tetanus was the commonest followed by idiopathic tetanus (22.6%) and traumatic tetanus (14%). Lockjaw, rigidity, spasm and fever were the most common presenting symptoms. Phenobarbitone and diazepam was the best combination of drugs for the treatment of tetanus. The overall mortality rate was 17.1%. This could be due to the drugs used in the present study. The incubation period, period of onset and fever had an inverse relationship with mortality. Tetanus following injury had the highest mortality (18.7%) followed by otogenic tetanus (16.4%) and cases with unknown aetiology (16%).
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