Dysphagia and trismus: an unusual case of tetanus

• Main Authors: Antonio Villa, Marianna Gregorio, Francesca Bassi, Alessandra Perego, Maria Francesca Donato, Vilma Galimberti, Maria Grazia Bellotti, Antonella Cheldi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Edizioni FS 2016-03-01
• Series: Journal of Health and Social Sciences
• Subjects: tetanus; trismus; dysphagia; lymphocytopenia; immunodepression; Sjogren’s syndrome
• Online Access: http://journalhss.com/wp-content/uploads/JHHS1167-70.pdf

Tetanus is a life-threatening infection that is rare in the developed world; it is more frequent in the elderly people and immunocompromised patients. We report a case of a 53-year-old woman who presented with dysphagia, mouth pain and trismus. She did not report any injuries. The suspected diagnosis of tetanus was made. The blood examination showed severe lymphocytopenia and a positive result for the antinuclear antibody (ANA) test, with a suspected diagnosis of Sjogren’s syndrome. It is possible that her immunocompromised conditions could have led to the onset of tetanus, even after casual and minimal contact with Clostridium spores.