How Long Does Typhoid Fever Last in Your Body?

If you are suffering from typhoid fever, you are attacked by Salmonella typhi bacteria. In developed countries, this type of fever is uncommon. Still, it can be a severe threat in the developing world, such as India, parts of South and Southeast Asia, Central and South America, Africa, and the Caribbean, mainly among children. Typhoid fever can be caused by consuming contaminated food or drink or even by coming into close contact with an infected individual. 

In this blog, we will explain what typhoid fever is. We will also cover topics like how long it lasts, some common typhoid disease symptoms, and the typhoid fever treatment options.

Symptoms of Typhoid Disease

The signs and symptoms of typhoid disease aim to emerge gradually over one to three weeks after the patient's exposure to the disease. 

Some of the early illness symptoms are:

• Fever starts low and then slowly reaches the high mark.
• Weakness and fatigue
• Headache
• Sweating
• Muscle aches
• Dry cough
• Stomach pain.
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Rash
• Diarrhoea or constipation
• Swollen stomach

Here are some severe signs:

• Becoming delirious
• Lying motionless and exhausted with eyes half-closed

It can be a life-threatening disease. Sometimes, the signs and symptoms of typhoid disease can return after around two weeks, even after the fever goes away.

Stages of Typhoid Fever

If you have typhoid, you might wonder when you'll be better. But there's not just one answer because there are different stages of typhoid fever. There are 4 Stages of Typhoid Fever or enteric fever, each lasting up to a week.

Stage 1

In this typhoid stage, the patient experiences some preliminary symptoms of typhoid disease, such as dry cough, indolence, or headache. This may or may not be accompanied by fever. Even if a fever occurs, your body temperature will not be much higher than usual.

Stage 2

A high fever and bloated stomach characterise this stage of typhoid fever. Losing weight is also another important indicator of this stage. Fever, dreams, or hallucinations are common. The individual may experience agitation and lethargy.

Stage 3

Things start to get extremely serious at this point. Abdominal bleeding may result from a severe intestinal perforation. Brain inflammation, or encephalitis, could develop. The person can become dehydrated, which would make the delirium worse. It is hard for the person to sit, stand or move.

Stage 4

This typhoid stage is characterised by extremely high fever. It also causes several other health problems, including meningitis, severe infections, pneumonia, kidney failure, and pancreatic inflammation. The typhoid-causing germs can live in certain people's bodies for long.

Causes of Typhoid Fever

Risky bacteria are the primary cause of typhoid fever and are transmitted through faecal-oral transfer. This bacterium can spread through an infected person's urine and faeces. One more of the numerous reasons to occur is if a person ever eats any food that an infected individual has handled. Most typhoid fever cases are caused by drinking water that has been contaminated. Any food that encounters one of these contaminated things is already contaminated and can transmit the bacteria.

Tests and Diagnosis for Typhoid

Under a typhoid test, urine or blood samples are analysed to check for any presence of Salmonella typhi. In some instances, the bacteria are detected during the first trial. During such cases, you must undergo a series of typhoid fever tests. Some of the other methods used for testing out typhoid fever are:

• Widal test
• Stool Cultures
• Blood Cultures
• Typhi IgM test

Preventive Measures to Avoid Typhoid

Learning about preventing typhoid fever is crucial if you don't want to be associated with this deadly disease.

• Drinking safe water and improving sanitation can help you control typhoid fever.
• Proper typhoid fever medication when the time comes is also mandatory.
• Get typhoid preventive vaccines to control this kind of fever. There are two types of vaccines available. 

Typhoid Fever Treatment

For the signs of recovery from typhoid fever to show, doctors recommend antibiotics. If caught early, the infection is typically relatively manageable, and a 7- to 14-day course of antibiotic pills will do the trick.

Hospitalisation is typically required to administer antibiotic injections for more severe typhoid fever. Most patients will recover on antibiotics within a few days, and serious problems hardly ever arise. Deaths from typhoid fever are uncommon in India these days.

Despite this, it is estimated that if typhoid fever treatment is not received, up to one in five infected individuals may not survive, and those who do may suffer from severe physical or mental complications.

Typhoid Fever Medication

The S.Typhi bacteria in different areas may have slightly different versions (called "strains"). So, the bacteria you're infected with may or may not respond to certain antibiotics. This is why you must tell your doctor where you've been. This information will help your doctor pick the right antibiotic for you. They may also prescribe a combination of antibiotics.

Signs of Recovery from Typhoid Fever

• Restored appetite.
• No body pain, including headaches and stomach aches. 
• Normal body temperature (i.e., no fever)
• Diminished fatigue 
• Reduced diarrhoea
• No chest congestion