Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.
Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.
Rabies is a disease caused by a neurotropic virus that, unless treated
quickly and appropriately, usually results in death.
Rabies symptoms and signs
occur after exposure and may consist of some or many of the following: odd
behaviors, delirium, combative, loss of muscle function, muscle spasms,
drooling, convulsions, pain, and other problems.
Rabies is caused when the
virus, Lyssavirus rabies, enters the human body by the bite from an infected
animal, in most cases. The virus progresses through the nerves to the brain and
other organs.
Although the majority of rabies infections worldwide originate
from bite from infected dogs, other animals (for example, bats, foxes, raccoons,
coyotes, wolves) may transmit the disease. Saliva from infected animals and bat
guano may also transmit the rabies virus to humans under certain conditions.
A
person exposed to rabies should ideally be treated within 12 hours of the
exposure and definitely within 48 hours for the best outcome.
People exposed
to rabies are usually treated with rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine
initially and then get an additional vaccine injection on days three, seven, 14, and
occasionally 28 after the first treatment.
Diagnostic tests for rabies
exposure usually involve taking tissue samples (often brain tissue) from the
potentially rabies-infected animal exposed to the patient and using
immunofluorescence or other immunological techniques to detect the virus in the
animal tissue.
Patients who develop the symptoms of rabies, due to no
treatment or incomplete treatment, in almost every instance, will die from the
disease.
Rabies can be prevented or greatly reduced in incidence by
government-mandated animal vaccinations, by oral vaccines fed to wild animals,
and by avoiding any contact with an animal suspected of having rabies.
REFERENCES:
Manning, S., C. Rupprecht, D. Fishbein, et al. "Human Rabies Prevention -- United
States, 2008: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices." MMWR 57.RR-3 (2008): 1-28.
McGettigan, J. "Experimental Rabies Vaccines
for Humans." Expert Rev. Vaccines 9.10 (2010): 1177-1186.
Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms. Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults.
Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by disease. Headache symptoms vary with the headache type. Over-the-counter pain relievers provide short-term relief for most headaches.
Muscle spasms are involuntary muscle contractions that come on suddenly and are usually quite painful. Dehydration, doing strenuous exercise in a hot environment, prolonged muscle use, and certain diseases of the nervous system may cause muscle spasms. Symptoms and signs of a muscle spasm include an acute onset of pain and a possible bulge seen or felt beneath the skin where the muscle is located. Gently stretching the muscle usually resolves a muscle spasm.
Itching can be a common problem. Itches can be localized or generalized. There are many causes of itching to include: infection (jock itch, vaginal itch), disease (hyperthyroidism, liver or kidney), reactions to drugs, and skin infestations (pubic or body lice). Treatment for itching varies depending on the cause of the itch.
Stress occurs when forces from the outside world impinge on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life. However, over-stress, can be harmful. There is now speculation, as well as some evidence, that points to the abnormal stress responses as being involved in causing various diseases or conditions.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
Dysphagia or difficulty in swallowing, swallowing problems. Dysphagia is due to problems in nerve or muscle control. It is common, for example, after a stroke. Dysphagia compromises nutrition and hydration and may lead to aspiration pneumonia and dehydration.
There are millions of dogs living in the United States, and thus many cases of dog bites. Annually, hundreds of people seek emergency medical care for dog bites. Treatment for a dog bite depends on how deep the injury is and the amount of tissue damage. Dog bites can be prevented by employing preventative measures.
Tetanus is an often-fatal disease caused by nerve toxins produced by the common bacteria Clostridium tetani. In a seven-day period after infection, a person experiences muscle spasms, restlessness, headache, irritability, then lockjaw, and the lungs stop functioning. Tetanus is treatable with antibiotics and drainage. Sedation is often give to stop muscle spasms.
Insomnia is the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of difficulty falling asleep; waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep; waking up too early in the morning; or unrefreshing sleep. Secondary insomnia is the most common type of insomnia. Treatment for insomnia include lifestyle changes, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medication.
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