Typhoid fever is a serious bacterial infection caused by a bacterium known as Salmonella typhi. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 30 percent of untreated cases are fatal. Patients should seek treatment early as advanced typhoid carries a risk of permanent damage as well as death. Current treatments for advanced typhoid fever can help arrest the infection.
Ciprofloxacin
According to MayoClinic.com, the first line treatment for advanced typhoid is ciprofloxacin antibiotic. Ciprofloxacin belongs to a group of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones and is used to treat typhoid and other serious bacterial infections. Patients allergic to fluoroquinolones should avoid taking ciprofloxacin. Common side effects of ciprofloxacin include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, heartburn, headache, vaginal itching and diarrhea.
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and Ampicillin
MayoClinic.com states that trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and ampicillin antibiotics may be used in place of ciprofloxacin to treat advanced typhoid fever. These drugs are used when patients are allergic to ciprofloxacin or when Salmonella typhi is resistant to ciprofloxacin. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is a combination of two antibiotics that should be avoided by patients allergic to trimethoprim, sulfa drugs and sulfonamides. Ampicillin belongs to a class of antibiotics known as penicillins. Patients allergic to penicillins and cephalosporins should avoid ampicillin.
Chloramphenicol
Chloramphenicol was once a first line treatment of typhoid fever, but the drug is rarely used these days due to dangerous side effects. MayoClinic.com states that chloramphenicol antibiotic may be used to treat advanced typhoid in cases where other antibiotics cannot be used due to antibiotic resistance or antibiotic allergy. Patients on chloramphenicol are hospitalized for monitoring of dangerous side effects such as drug-induced leukemia and neutropenia. Neutropenia is destruction of white blood cells that places patients at high risks for infections.
Surgery
MayoClinic.com states that gastrointestinal bleeding and intestinal perforation are the most serious complications of advanced typhoid. Advanced typhoid may affect the walls of the intestines causing bleeding and intestinal perforation. According to the National Institutes of Health, patients experiencing gastrointestinal bleeding and intestinal perforation due to advanced typhoid require surgery.
Supportive Therapy
According to MayoClinic.com, patients who suffer from advanced typhoid suffer from severe dehydration due to prolonged fever and diarrhea. Patients with severe dehydration require intravenous fluids. Patients also require high-calorie foods so as to restore energy. The foods should contain no fiber which can irritate the intestines and cause intestinal stimulation leading to diarrhea.
