Tropical diseases

Tropical diseases are no longer restricted to their countries of origin. Some holidaymakers unsuspectingly bring an unpleasant souvenir with them, and an exotic carrier of tropical diseases has often been brought in as a stowaway in airplanes and freight containers.

What are tropical diseases?

As Tropical diseases These are infections that predominantly occur in tropical and subtropical areas because the carriers of the disease need a warmer climate to survive.

Typical of tropical diseases are rapid spread and often epidemic-like occurrences. In addition to malaria, yellow fever, swamp fever, dengue and Crimean Congo fever, the most well-known tropical diseases today also include sleeping sickness, schistosomiasis, leprosy and Chagas disease.

These infectious diseases are common in many warm, humid regions, while others such as Ebola, Lassa fever and Marburg virus occur more frequently in Africa.

The incubation period of the individual tropical diseases varies. The symptoms rarely appear suddenly, they usually develop gradually over a period of several weeks or months. They can cause attacks of fever, severe gastrointestinal disorders, or internal bleeding.

Tropical diseases are often highly contagious and can only be treated symptomatically. Sometimes they leave lasting damage to health; if left untreated, tropical diseases are often fatal.

causes

One cause for numerous Tropical diseases In addition to mosquitoes and biting flies, there are also ticks and other blood-sucking insects, whose bites can transmit the pathogens of malaria, sleeping sickness and similar infections.

Other tropical diseases are favored by poor hygiene and a lack of infrastructure. The discharge of untreated wastewater in lakes provides an ideal breeding ground for many suckers, nematodes and other parasites. If the worm larvae come into contact with the worm larvae while bathing or washing clothes in such contaminated fresh water, an infection with schistosomiasis can result.

Contaminated drinking water is one of the main causes of tropical diseases such as typhoid, cholera and amoebic dysentery, caused by bacteria and protozoa. Poverty, malnutrition and poor health care weaken the immune system and increase the susceptibility of the population to tropical diseases, which are spread through droplet infection and body fluids.

Typical & common diseases

• malaria
• cholera
• Yellow fever
• Dengue fever
• leprosy
• tuberculosis
• Schistosomiasis (schistosomiasis)
• Chagas disease
• Ebola
• Typhus
• Sleeping sickness
• Japanese encephalitis
• Amoebic dysentery

Symptoms, ailments & signs

A tropical disease in the form of a viral disease caused by insects initially shows symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches and chills. In a short-term change, there are signs of improvement and renewed relapses of the disease. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can also develop.

It can also itch. Depending on the type of tropical disease, a rash can also occur. Itchy wheals, facial swelling, and abdominal pain can indicate a tropical disease caused by worms. The flu-like symptoms of a tropical disease are often similar in the first phase of the disease.

In the further development, different symptoms with a different risk potential can appear. With malaria, severe sweating, dizziness and weakness can occur as the disease progresses. The malaria tropica can cause dry cough as well as breathing and intestinal problems. The symptoms of malaria can reappear after years of inconspicuousness.

If yellow fever is severe, symptoms such as fever, chills and nausea may lead to bleeding from the palate, vomiting of bile and reduced urine production. In tropical hemorrhagic diseases such as Ebola and Lassa fever, severe symptoms such as life-threatening external and internal bleeding and organ damage occur very quickly. This can lead to kidney and liver failure in particular.

Diagnosis & course

Tropical diseases such as malaria, which is viral infection from insects, initially lead to flu-like symptoms. There are attacks of fever, chills, headaches and aching limbs. Short-term improvements change with new flare-ups. The diagnosis is made with the help of a blood test.

In tropical diseases caused by parasites or worms, the larva penetrates the skin and spreads via the blood and lymph systems. Diffuse flu symptoms with fever attacks, headaches and body aches can be the result, depending on the location of the parasite. Other symptoms such as severe itching with rashes and palpable swellings of the spleen and liver occur at times.

The detection of worm eggs in the stool is used to establish the diagnosis. Typical of tropical hemorrhagic diseases such as Ebola and Lassa fever are short, violent courses with strong flu symptoms, cough, diarrhea, multiple organ damage and internal and external bleeding.

Complications

The complaints and symptoms of tropical diseases can vary widely and usually depend on the exact disease. For this reason, no general prediction about the complications is possible. In the worst case, tropical diseases can lead to patient death or permanent damage. Those affected usually suffer from severe flu and chills or from body aches.

Severe headaches, nausea and vomiting also occur and significantly reduce the patient's quality of life. Furthermore, there is swelling of the liver and spleen, with the organs being damaged. If there is no treatment, severe itching of the skin and jaundice occurs. In the further course the patient will die if the organs are completely damaged.

The treatment of tropical diseases is usually done with the help of drugs. Complications only arise if the treatment itself is not triggered early. Antibiotics and other drugs can defeat most pathogens so that the diseases are completely limited. If the patient is completely cured, the life expectancy of the patient is also not reduced in most cases.

When should you go to the doctor?

In the case of tropical diseases, a doctor should always be contacted immediately. In the worst case, the affected person can also die if the disease is not treated at all, so that early detection and treatment of this disease always has a very positive effect on the further course of the symptoms.

The earlier a doctor is contacted, the better the further course of tropical diseases is usually. A doctor should be consulted if the symptoms arise while staying in tropical countries. A high fever combined with severe pain and chills can indicate these symptoms. Itching or pustules and papules on the skin can also indicate tropical diseases and should always be examined by a doctor. Most of those affected also suffer from coughing or even vomiting and diarrhea.

In the case of tropical diseases, a general practitioner can primarily be contacted. The further course and also the treatment depend very much on the exact type and severity of the disease, so that no general prediction can be made.

Treatment & Therapy

Some Tropical diseases, like malaria, can be cured today if diagnosis and treatment are timely. There are effective drugs, especially for malaria.

To date, there is no effective therapy against other tropical infectious diseases in which a virus is transmitted by mosquitoes or flies. In the case of dengue, hanta or yellow fever, only individual symptoms can be treated with medication, whereby painkillers containing acetylsalicylic acid (e.g. aspirin) must be avoided because of the increased tendency to bleed.

In the case of sleeping sickness, the patient has to be treated as an inpatient, as the drugs are highly toxic and can cause serious side effects. Common antibiotics are also ineffective against parasitic tropical diseases such as schistosomiasis, Chagas disease and filariasis (river blindness). The treatment is carried out as an inpatient, because chemotherapy with severe side effects is the only option for treating this tropical disease.

Tropical diseases that are transmitted by ticks or lice can be treated well after a clear diagnosis. Q fever, relapsing fever and leishmaniasis can be completely cured with antibiotic combination preparations.

prevention

In front of some Tropical diseases protect vaccinations. Insect spray and mosquito nets keep the stinging vectors of other tropical diseases away and those who do without tap water, ice cubes, raw meat / seafood and unpeeled raw vegetables at the table, do not walk barefoot and avoid fresh water, can effectively prevent tropical diseases.

Aftercare

In the case of tropical diseases, the form of medical follow-up depends on the exact disease. For some well-curable tropical diseases, no follow-up care in the medical sense is necessary. These include, for example, hookworm infestation, O’nyong-nyong fever and endemic syphilis that has not lasted for a long time. In these cases the disease ends on its own or can usually be completely defeated with rapid administration of antibiotics.

The majority of tropical diseases, however, are serious infectious diseases. In many cases, these have the potential to severely attack organs and other tissue and weaken the body. Follow-up care after treatment with medication is therefore often aimed at regaining strength and taking good care of the patient.

Especially in the case of cholera and the other tropical diseases that lead to high fever, increased absorption of fluids and nutrients is indicated for some time even after treatment. In the case of tropical diseases that severely damage the skin, subsequent wound care is necessary.

For some tropical diseases, follow-up care is primarily used to check for residual pathogens. In this way, therapy can be continued if necessary and it can ultimately be ruled out that tropical diseases are spread to other areas.

You can do that yourself

Patients suffering from tropical diseases such as malaria, cholera, onchocerciasis or yellow fever must seek medical treatment. The most important self-help measure is always compliance with the medical guidelines, accompanied by rest and bed rest. Further measures apply depending on the disease.

In the case of various diseases such as cholera, dengue fever or typhus, there is an obligation to report. If not already done by the doctor, the patient should inform the responsible authority. In order to avoid transmission of the pathogen, contact with healthy people must be restricted. In the case of cholera and other tropical diseases that affect the gastrointestinal tract, the diet must be changed. Patients should drink enough water and ensure that their fluids and electrolytes are in balance. In addition to treatment with antibiotics, homeopathic remedies may be used.

Close medical supervision is necessary in the case of severe diseases such as onchocerciasis, which can lead to blindness. Patients should pay close attention to any unusual symptoms and tell the doctor if necessary. The most important measure is always to carry out the drug treatment and otherwise adapt the living conditions to the individual symptom picture.