Diagnosis of tetanus by an otorhinolaryngologist and immunity against tetanus among adults on the island of Crete.
BACKGROUND
Tetanus (lockjaw) is a rare disease in developed countries.


METHODS
An otorhinolaryngologist can be the first physician to see a patient with tetanus. In our department, we have seen 10 such cases presenting with head and neck symptoms. We report 2 of these cases followed by an investigation of the immune status of the adult Cretan population against tetanus using 200 random patients who visited our clinic.


RESULTS
A negative history of complete childhood immunization was recorded in 37% of individuals. Of the male population, 88.5% had received active immunization during adulthood, although 47% had received all three doses. Only 12.6% of the females had received full-dose immunization during adulthood. Overall, only 8.5% of the studied population had received either complete immunization or a scheduled booster dose during the last decade.


CONCLUSIONS
In many cases, an otorhinolaryngologist can be the first physician to examine a patient with tetanus. The incidence of the disease in Crete, Greece, is significantly higher than in most parts of developed countries.
Kyrmizakis
Dionysios E
DE
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Crete School of Medicine, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. dkyrmiz@yahoo.com
Karatzanis
Alexandros D
AD
Liolios
Antonios
A
Papadakis
Chariton E
CE
Benakis
Antonios A
AA
Bizakis
John G
JG
Velegrakis
George A
GA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010036:Otolaryngology; D013742:Tetanus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D014611:Vaccination