In this Article

• What causes toxic shock syndrome?
• What are the risk factors for toxic shock syndrome?
• What are the signs and symptoms of toxic shock syndrome?
• How is toxic shock syndrome diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for toxic shock syndrome?
• Toxic Shock Syndrome At A Glance
• Toxic Shock Syndrome Glossary
• Toxic Shock Syndrome Index

What is the treatment for toxic shock syndrome?

If you suspect that you have TSS, you should immediately seek medical care or go to an emergency department for evaluation. Foreign material such as tampons, contraceptive devices, or wound packings must be immediately removed. Treatment may involve a combination of the following:

• intravenous (IV) fluids to stabilize the blood pressure, possibly in combination with medications to raise blood pressure;



• IV antibiotics to fight the source of the infection;



• oxygen administration;



• removal of tampons, nasal packings, or other suspected sources of the infection;



• surgical interventions to drain the source of the infection in cases of an abscess and remove necrotic tissue (dead tissues); and



• dialysis if kidney failure develops.

Other therapies

• IV immunoglobulin has been reported to be beneficial in severe cases of TSS.



• Neither hyperbaric oxygen therapy (oxygen given at higher than normal amounts and pressures) nor high-dose corticosteroid treatments have shown any beneficial outcomes in patients with TSS.

Toxic Shock Syndrome At A Glance

• Toxic shock syndrome is a serious, life-threatening illness caused by toxins released by two specific types of bacteria, group A Streptococcus and S. aureus.
• Although most commonly associated with tampon use in menstruating females, it can also occur in the setting of postsurgical wound infections as well as skin and other infections.
• There is no one specific test that establishes the diagnosis of TSS.
• TSS requires emergency care, including intravenous fluid and antibiotics.

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