Typhoid fever differential diagnosis

Typhoid fever Microchapters
Home
Patient Information
Overview
Historical Perspective
Classification
Pathophysiology
Causes
Differentiating Typhoid fever from other Diseases
Epidemiology and Demographics
Risk Factors
Screening
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Diagnosis
History and Symptoms
Physical Examination
Laboratory Findings
X ray
CT
MRI
Ultrasound
Other Imaging Findings
Other diagnostic tests
Treatment
Medical Therapy
Primary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Cost-Effectiveness of Therapy
Future or Investigational Therapies
Case Studies
Case #1
Typhoid fever differential diagnosis On the Web
Most recent articles
Most cited articles
Review articles
CME Programs
Powerpoint slides
Images
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Typhoid fever differential diagnosis All Images X-rays Echo & Ultrasound CT Images MRI
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse
NICE Guidance
FDA on Typhoid fever differential diagnosis
CDC on Typhoid fever differential diagnosis
Typhoid fever differential diagnosis in the news
Blogs on Typhoid fever differential diagnosis
Directions to Hospitals Treating Typhoid fever
Risk calculators and risk factors for Typhoid fever differential diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: João André Alves Silva, M.D. [2]

Overview

Typhoid fever must be differentiated from other diseases that cause fever, diarrhea, dehydration and tachycardia, such as Ebola, Shigellosis, Malaria and Lassa fever.

Differentiating Typhoid fever from other Diseases

The table below summarizes the findings that differentiate Typhoid fever from other conditions that cause fever, diarrhea, dehydration and tachycardia:

Disease	Findings
Ebola	Presents with fever, chills vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise, and sometimes internal and external bleeding, that follow an incubation period of 2-21 days.
Shigellosis & other bacterial enteric infections	Presents with diarrhea, possibly bloody, accompanied by fever, nausea, and sometimes toxemia, vomiting, cramps, and tenesmus. Stools contain blood and mucous in a typical case. A search for possible sites of bacterial infection, together with cultures and blood smears, should be made. Presence of leucocytosis distinguishes bacterial infections from viral infections.
Malaria	Presents with acute fever, headache and sometimes diarrhea (children). A blood smears must be examined for malaria parasites. The presence of parasites does not exclude concurrent viral infection. An antimalarial should be prescribed as an empiric therapy.
Lassa fever	Disease onset is usually gradual, with fever, sore throat, cough, pharyngitis, and facial edema in the later stages. Inflammation and exudation of the pharynx and conjunctiva are common.
Yellow fever and other Flaviviridae	Present with hemorrhagic complications. Epidemiological investigation may reveal a pattern of disease transmission by an insect vector. Virus isolation and serological investigation serves to distinguish these viruses. Confirmed history of previous yellow fever vaccination will rule out yellow fever.
Abdominal abcess	Presents with abdominal pain, fever, loss of apatite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation. H/o surgery, presence of a mass on physical examination, ultrasound or CT scan may help rule out abdominal abcess in such cases.
Others	Viral hepatitis, leptospirosis, rheumatic fever, typhus, and mononucleosis can produce signs and symptoms that may be confused with Ebola in the early stages of infection.

References

Template:WH