Typhoid fever is characterized by typical course of temperature (103-104°F) and ulceration of the bowels. The symptoms of typhoid develop gradually. It often starts one to three weeks after exposure to the disease but the symptoms may develop and progress quicker in children.
The symptoms of typhoid are high fever, diarrhoea or constipation, abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, malaise, weakness, cough, slowing of heart rate (bradycardia) and anorexia.
First Week of Illness
- High fever (as high as 103 or 1040F)
- Weakness, fatigue and exhaustion
- Pain in abdomen
- Change in stool consistency (diarrhoea or constipation)
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Rash
Children develop diarrhoea more often, whereas, constipation is more common in adults. Rash usually occurs in the second week of illness. They appear as small, flat, rose-colored spots on the lower chest or upper abdomen. Rashes last for a few days and generally disappear in two to five days.
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Second Week of Illness
If typhoid fever is not treated, the disease progresses and in the second stage the person is usually very ill and can experience:
- Continuous high fever.
- Change in stool consistency (diarrhoea or constipation). Stool in diarrhoea has the colour and consistency of pea soup.
- Considerable weight loss.
- Extreme weakness, fatigue and exhaustion.
- Distended or bloated abdomen.
Third Week of Illness
By the third week of illness the infection worsens and you may have the following symptoms besides the above mentioned ones:
- Delirium.
- Extreme exhaustion (that is the person may lie motionless and exhausted with eyes half-closed. This is known as the typhoid state)
Life-threatening complications such as intestinal perforation and myocarditis may develop in the third week of illness. Improvement with treatment in typhoid fever is slow. The fever decreases gradually but it can return again if the treatment is not appropriate.
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