this condition mainly seen in children which is spread very quickly to one person to another. this topic is very useful to understood by students.

1. Diphtheria

2. Introduction
• Diphtheria takesits name from theGreekword
dipthera meaning leathery and wasnamed in 1826by
French physician PierreBretonneau.
• This is because it refers to the leathery[having a tough,
hard skin], sheath- like membrane that grows on the
tonsils,throat and in thenose.
•In the past its name(general disease,killer
disease)because no treatment in the past and
it waslead high mortality between children
• It wassaidthat the disease killed asmany
as80%of the children below 10years

3. • Diphtheria isanacute infectious diseasethat typically strikes the
upper respiratory tract including the throat. It iscausedby
infection with the bacteriaCorynebacteria diphtheria.
• It’s characterizedby sorethroat and mild fever at first.
 Diphtheria cause a thick gray coating at the back of the throa
,which makes hard for the person to breathe and can result in
suffocation.
Asthe disease progresses,amembranous substanceforms in the
throat that makesit difficult to breathe andswallow.
Definition

4. Causes,,,,
Corynebacterium diphtheria bacteria causes
diphtheria. Usually the bacteria multiply on or near the
surface of the mucous membranes of the throat, where
they cause inflammation.

5. Cont’d…Causes
•The inflammation may spread to the voice box
(larynx) and may make your throat swell, narrowing
your airway.
• Disease-causing strains of C. diphtheriae release a
damaging substance (toxin), it can also be spread via
blood stream to other organs which can also involve
the heart, brain and nerves.

6. Risk factors
 Crowded environments,
 poor hygiene ,
 lack of immunization

7. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Bacteria infects the mucous membrane of respiratory system
[ [tonsils & pharynx]
bacteria produce toxins which cause necrosis of tissue
forms thick ,grayish ,fiber like covering, membrane over
posterior pharynx and some times extend into trachea.
obstruct the airway and also interferes in eating and drinking
toxins may damage Heart and CNS

8. Signsandsymptoms
Signs and symptoms usually begin two to five
days after a person becomes infected.
•Asore throat and hoarseness
•Painful swallowing
•Swollen glands (enlarged lymph
nodes) in your neck

9. •Athick, grayish membrane covering your nose throat
and tonsils blocking the airways and cause difficult to
swallow.
•Difficulty breathing or rapid breathing
•Nasal discharge
•Fever and chills
Cont’d…Signsandsymptoms

10. Skin (cutaneous diphtheria)
• It is found in people with poor hygiene. Any break
in the skin can become infected with diphtheria.
• The infected tissue develops an ulcerated area and
a diphtheria membrane may form over the wound
but is not always present. It is slow to heal and
may be insensitive when touched.

11. Complications
•Breathing problems.
• Diphtheria- causing bacteria may produce a toxin.
This toxin damages tissue in the immediate area of
infection — usually, the nose and throat.
• At that site, the infection produces a tough, gray-
colored membrane composed of dead cells, bacteria and
other substances.
•This membrane can obstruct breathing.

12. •Heart damage: The diphtheria toxin may spread
through bloodstream and damage other tissues in your
body, such as heart muscle, causing inflammation of
(myocarditis).
•It may be slight, showing up as minor abnormalities on
an ECG, or severe, leading sudden death.
Cont’d….Complications

13. •Nerve damage.
•The toxin can also cause nerve damage. Typical targets
are nerves to the throat, where poor nerve conduction
may cause difficulty swallowing.
• Nerves to the arms and legs also may become inflamed,
causing muscle weakness.
• Toxin may damages the nerves that used in breathing
muscles and become paralyzed. Respiration become
impossible without device .
Cont’d….Complications

14. -Renal:
-The diphtheria toxin may damage the kidneys,
affecting their ability to filter wastes from the
blood.
-This leads to renal failure.
Cont’d….Complications

15. Transmission
• Person-to-person transmission occurs through
oral or respiratory droplets of an infected person,
contaminated objects or food
• close physical contact with infected person

18. Tests and diagnosis
• Diphtheria can be diagnosed usually by
proper clinical examination, throat
culture from the infected area and blood
tests
- Tests used may include:
• Gram stain or throat culture to
identify Corynebacterium diphtheria .
• (ECG).

19. ed
e
r
An antitoxin. After doctors confirm
diphtheria, the infect child receives an
antitoxin. The antitoxin, injected into a
vein o muscle, neutralizes the
diphtheria toxin already circulating in
the body.
Antibiotics. Diphtheria is also treated
with antibiotics, such as penicillin or
erythromycin.
Antibiotics help kill bacteria in the body,
clearing up infections.
Treatment

20. Prevention
• Diphtheria is easily prevented with the
use of a safe and effective vaccine.
• Most people receive their first
vaccination for the disease as
children. This is know as the DPT
vaccine (diphtheria-tetanus-
pertussis).
• Pentavalent [diphtheria, pertussis ,
tetanus, hepatitis B and Haemophilus
influenza type B] (Hib).will replace the DPT
and HepB vaccine at 6,10,14 weeks of
age. 0.5 ml IM.
• DPT booster dose -1 for children16-24
month , & DPT booster dose -2 for
children 5 yr.

21. Summary
• Diphtheria is a highly communicable, acute
bacterial infection. It was once a leading cause
of death among children. Thegerm produces a
toxin that canspread from the site of infection
to other tissues in the body. Diphtheria usually
affects the throat and nose. But, in more
serious cases,it may affect the nervous system
and heart