Diphtheria natural history, complications and prognosis

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Kalsang Dolma, M.B.B.S.[2] Aysha Anwar, M.B.B.S[3]

Overview

Diphtheria is a vaccine preventable disease which can lead to severe complications like respiratory failure, myocarditis, polyneuropathies and death once the disease sets in.

Complications

Complications that can develop as a result of diphtheria are:

• Respiratory failure
• Myocarditis
• Polyneuropathies
  • 10th cranial nerve disorder
  • 9th cranial nerve disorder
  • Peripheral motor neuropathy
• Acute renal failure
• Death

Prognosis

• The overall case-fatality rate for diphtheria is 5%–10%, with higher death rates (up to 20%) among persons younger than 5 and older than 40 years of age. The case-fatality rate for diphtheria has changed very little during the last 50 years.

• The disease can be prevented by vaccines. However, the prognosis is not good once the disease sets in.

References

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