A Reappraisal of Clinical Characteristics of Typhoid Fever

Background: Recent reports from developing countries show that the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of typhoid have significantly altered often leading to missed diagnosis. The incidence of complications is also reported to be variable. The consequence of missed diagnosis is immense in terms of burden on limited health resources and patients ’ suffering. Therefore, its clinical spectrum requires constant reappraisal to update our physicians with current knowledge. This study was carried out to determine the changes in clinical pattern of typhoid fever. Patients & Methods: A total of 106 children, aged up to 14 years, diagnosed primarily as typhoid fever, were included as study population. The diagnostic criteria were either positive blood culture for Salmonella typhi or Salmonella paratyphi or at least a four-fold rise in antibody titre on Widal test. The study included mode of clinical presentations, treatment received before admission, Widal test findings and culture and sensitivity to antibiotics. Results: The mean age of the patients was 5.2 years and males were a little than th