Although similar, this is how to distinguish the symptoms of typhus and dbd & bull; hello healthy

Typhus and dengue fever (dengue hemorrhagic fever) have similar symptoms, namely the appearance of a high fever and weakness. Therefore, many people mistakenly think typhus fever is DHF, and vice versa. Even if you mistakenly suspect the type of disease you are suffering from, later it can cause mishandling. So how do you understand the different symptoms of typhus and dengue? Check out the full review below.

The difference between dengue fever and typhus is based on the cause

Although both are infectious diseases, dengue and typhus have quite clear differences. One of them is the cause behind each disease.

Causes of typhus

Typhus or the medical language called typhoid fever is an infectious disease caused by a bacterial infection Salmonella typhi.

These bacteria enter the body or to be precise into the digestive tract through contaminated food, drink, or water. Not maintaining the cleanliness of food and beverages, poor sanitation, and limited access to clean water are thought to be the main causes of typhus.

Causes of DHF

Meanwhile, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a disease caused by the dengue virus which is carried by mosquitoes Aedes aegypti. Mosquito aedes aegypti most commonly encountered during the rainy season and after the rainy season in tropical and subtropical areas.

In fact, typhus and dengue are the two most common diseases affecting Indonesian society. This disease can affect anyone regardless of age and gender. If not handled properly and quickly, these two diseases can endanger lives.

The difference in fever in the symptoms of typhoid and dengue fever

Typhus and dengue do have the same distinctive symptoms, namely high fever. However, it turns out that the two of them have a different pattern of appearance. Here's the explanation:

• In dengue fever, high fever ranges from 39-40 degrees Celsius. The appearance of fever is usually sudden. In addition, fever in DHF symptoms will last all day long and can last up to 7 days.
• Meanwhile, fever in typhus appears slowly. At the onset of symptoms, the body temperature is not too high or even normal. Then, the fever will gradually rise each day, and can reach up to 40.5 degrees Celsius. Typhoid fever can also fluctuate, for example, appearing at night and decreasing in the morning.

Another difference is the general symptoms of typhus and dengue fever

Apart from seeing the differences in fever, there are also some differences in general symptoms between the two diseases. The following are various different characteristics of typhus and dengue that you should know and understand.

1. Red spot or rash

In DHF, there will be red spots characteristic of DHF on the underside of the skin that occur due to bleeding and when pressed, the red spots do not fade.

Apart from red spots, people with dengue fever also often experience nosebleeds and light bleeding on the gums. Whereas in typhus, the red spots that appear are not bleeding spots, but the result of infection from bacteria Salmonella .

2. Time of incident

Another clear difference between the symptoms of typhoid and dengue fever is the timing of the disease.

DHF disease occurs seasonally, especially during the rainy season where a humid environment is the best place for mosquitoes to breed.

Whereas typhus is not a seasonal disease and can occur throughout the year if you do not keep the environment clean properly.

3. Pain that appears

DHF sometimes causes muscle, joint and bone pain. This pain usually starts after the fever appears. In addition, DHF will also cause symptoms of severe headaches, nausea, and vomiting.

While typhus is a disease related to the digestive tract, so that the symptoms of fever must be accompanied by symptoms of pain in the digestive tract, such as stomach pain, diarrhea, and even constipation.

4. The emergence of shock

In DHF, shock (severe fluid loss) is quite common. Whereas in typhus, generally there is no shock if there are no complications.

5. Complications of disease

One of the complications most likely to occur in DHF is damage to blood vessels, which can cause bleeding. If not treated immediately, this condition will cause failure of the internal organ systems that lead to death.

While the complications of typhus can cause a perforated intestine (intestinal perforation) which can cause intestinal contents to leak into the abdominal cavity and cause infection. If the abdominal cavity is infected, it will cause peritonitis, which is an infection of the tissue that lines the inside of the stomach. This infection can cause various organs to stop functioning.

Can someone get the symptoms of typhus and dengue at the same time?

Actually, these two infectious diseases have quite striking differences, from the mode of transmission to the different causes. Dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus which is transmitted through mosquito bites, while typhus occurs due to bacterial contamination of food due to poor environmental hygiene.

However, both the symptoms of DHF and typhus can occur simultaneously, even quite often it is found when the rainy season or extreme weather changes occur, such as when the monsoon winds often hit Indonesia.

Although it is not certain and needs to be done further research, here are the conclusions from the experts regarding the reasons why people can get dengue fever and typhus at the same time:

1. Having dengue fever makes the immune system weak

When someone has dengue fever, their immune system will automatically decrease significantly.

Now, when the immune system in general decreases, the body will be very susceptible to other infectious diseases, whether it is caused by viruses, bacteria, or other parasites. Bacteria Salmonella which is the cause of typhus is no exception.

2. Damage to the intestinal wall due to dengue increases the risk of bacterial infection

Dengue infection can also cause damage to the intestinal wall. This was examined in a study at The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health . When this happens, the gut's self-protection against bad bacteria found in food decreases.

As a result, the body will be susceptible to bacterial infections that come from food. Well, one of the bacteria that might infect is bacteria Salmonella typhi .

Also remember, typhus is most common in the rainy season, as does dengue fever. Although rare, it is not impossible if a person can be infected with dengue fever and typhoid fever at the same time.

Diagnosis and treatment of typhus and dengue

The only way to make sure that your fever is a symptom of typhus or dengue is to do a blood test.

So, if you have a high fever that has been going on for more than three days, immediately get a blood test at the nearest laboratory. By doing a blood test, you will know exactly what disease you are experiencing.

In DHF, the examination is usually done by checking the platelet count. A person is said to have dengue fever when the platelet count has decreased, which is less than 150,000 per microliter of blood.

Meanwhile, to ensure typhus, the doctor will recommend that you do a widal examination after you have had a fever for at least 5 days. This examination is done to find out whether your blood contains antibodies against the bacteria that cause typhus, namely Salmonella typhi or not.

How to treat the symptoms of typhus and dengue will certainly be different. DHF treatment will usually focus on increasing the platelet levels in the body, although there is no specific drug that can cure this disease.

Meanwhile, typhus will usually be treated with antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, or ceftriaxone.